


First Life

by Desert Sunrise (sniderde92)



Series: Chronicles of Samantha Shepard [1]
Category: Mass Effect
Genre: F/F
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-04-12
Updated: 2014-11-25
Packaged: 2018-01-19 03:13:38
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 24
Words: 117,983
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1453327
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sniderde92/pseuds/Desert%20Sunrise
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Raised by military parents, Shepard knew she would serve; honor & duty a part of her soul. A natural born leader, fiercely independent, she has a hard time sharing control or responsibility with anyone. As a new galactic threat emerges, she must learn how to share the burdens of war before she is buried by them. A shy Asari archeologist might just be the one to teach her...</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. New Kid on the Block

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I apologize upfront for all the notifications if you are a follower of this fic. I've just finished the rewrite, including a number of fixes and the inclusion of some pieces that were originally written as QuickShots. Thanks to everyone who took the time to read and comment! Everyone's reviews helped tremendously! Of course, the standard disclaimer: One of my favorite games, but I do not own Mass Effect or any of its characters, I'm just having some fun with it.

Humanity’s greatest achievement yet--a successful manned landing and exploration of the Red Planet in the year 2148 ended with discoveries greater than any rover had ever revealed. Who could have guessed Mars held evidence of ancient space faring civilizations, known as the Protheans? Less than a year later, humanity discovered that Charon, Pluto’s moon, hid a tremendous technology which allowed mankind to travel farther than ever thought possible. It had been theorized for years, but who knew we would ever be able to truly bend space and time to rapidly travel huge distances across the galaxy. The scientists called it…Mass Effect. The relay was a technological marvel to behold. A huge structure, orbiting in space, with a dark energy that pulsed around its core. It had an oblong casing, with counter-rotating disks at the core and dual arms that extended away like a tuning fork, providing a directional vector for whatever entered its reach.

They initially experimented with probes; without fail, the probes would approach the relay, the relay would light up, and the probe would accelerate off the end of the arms in a bright streak of blinding light and vanish. The communications link would last only nanoseconds before the probe disappeared forever. There were two primary schools of thought; either the probe didn't survive the encounter, or the trip took the probe so far away the scientific team could no longer talk to it. Months of debate brought the scientific community no closer to a resolution and it was finally decided the only way to know for sure would be to send an all-volunteer manned mission through the device. Volunteers were in no short supply, and soon a small team of men and women was assembled, led by Captain Jon Grissom.

As the small research vessel approached the relay, Grissom echoed the words of Neil Armstrong, "One small step for man, one giant step for mankind," and then they were gone. Those waiting at the Charon relay did not have to wait long. Within thirty minutes, all the probes they had sent through the relay started showing back up on the Charon side. The conclusion was obvious; the research vessel survived the transit and they were collecting and returning the probes for study. It was another two days before the team of explorers showed back up at the relay, but they returned with glorious news. After completing a star map, they matched the location to known stars and determined the distant end to be near a star known as Arcturus, and several other relays were in close proximity to enable further exploration.

Jon Grissom was a reluctant hero, but accepted a promotion to Commodore and the job of organizing construction on a multi-national space station, aptly named Arcturus Station. It would serve as the jumping off point for future exploration and as a defensive station guarding the mass relay to Earth. The station was inaugurated in 2156 and Earth's continued expansion into the Milky Way commenced. The humanity Alliance quickly became efficient at using mass relays to explore the galaxy, reaching farther into space every year.   In 2157, they discovered, in truth, what they were always afraid to find…they were not alone. An unknown alien force attacked an Alliance outpost on Shanxi and resulted in what became known as the First Contact War. Jon Grissom was again thrown to the front and promoted to Rear Admiral. After a series of battles, the war was stopped by a multi-species government recognized as the Citadel Council. Responsible for preserving peace and stability, they intervened and Earth suddenly found themselves thrust onto a galactic stage much larger than they ever realized existed. After the First Contact War, Rear Admiral Jon Grissom retired amidst political blowback from his complaints about how the war was handled. Grissom retreated to colonial life on Elysium in 2160 and became a recluse, refusing all contact by the Alliance.

Construction on Arcturus station was completed in 2162, and by 2165 humanity had already been recognized as a council race and granted an embassy on the Citadel. It was a huge step forward, and many other races who had been part of the galactic community for centuries felt only two decades was too short a period for such an honor. Some extreme cases felt neglected, mistreated, resentful…and angry. Relations with the enemies of the First Contact War gradually improved over time, and finally, in 2183, a joint Human-Turian venture birthed a new prototype ship, the SSV Normandy, a frigate with advanced stealth technology. On board was Captain David Anderson, ship’s captain, and Commander Samantha Shepard, executive officer, along with Turian Spectre Nihlus Kryik, an elite agent for the Citadel Council. The Normandy’s first shake-down cruise was two-fold; a mission to retrieve a newly discovered Prothean beacon from a human colony on Eden Prime and deliver it to the Mars Archive, and a chance for Spectre Kryik to evaluate Commander Shepard’s potential to become the Council’s first Human Spectre.

As the Normandy approached Eden Prime, a video transmission showed Alliance soldiers ground-side, under heavy fire, with a huge airborne dreadnought in the background sky. The dreadnought was like nothing any of them had ever seen, and as the video feed got abruptly cut off, they all realized the mission was not going to be as simple as everyone expected.


	2. Out From Beyond the Veil

The four-man ground team consisted of Nihlus Kryik, Spectre; Corporal Richard Jenkins, soldier; Lieutenant Kaidan Alenko, biotic; and Lieutenant Commander Samantha Shepard, Vanguard. A Spectre was an elite Special Tactics and Reconnaissance agent, who was not bound by standard galactic law, and who carried out special missions for the Citadel Council. They were considered above the law and generally given complete discretion over how they accomplished the missions assigned to them, but Spectre status could be revoked by the Council in cases of gross misconduct. As a Spectre, Nihlus was used to working independently, so he moved out silently through the shadows to scout ahead and try to locate the beacon. He also needed to evaluate Commander Shepard, so needed to watch and listen from afar to see how she performed.

As team lead, Shepard brought a lot to the fight. She was a Vanguard; a deadly soldier with the added bonus of biotics, known for her high-risk high-reward combat style. With the augmentation of a biotic charge, Vanguards can close on an enemy with extreme speed and incredible force, killing them with heavy melee and hand-to-hand combat, frequently before the enemy is able to bring a weapon to bear. To maintain a balance between speed and front-line contact, they generally wear medium armor and carry both a shotgun and a submachine gun or heavy pistol. This was her first ground mission aboard the Normandy, and hadn't worked with either of the two soldiers with her. Captain Anderson had assigned the ground team, so she had to make do with who he picked.

As they started to move down the primary pathway to try to locate the research station where the beacon was discovered, Shepard watched Alenko; he was a pure biotic specialist, not a Vanguard. Rather than the 'crash and blast' style, Shepard expected him to manipulate dark energy with his mind to create a variety of effects to shield, move or destroy objects in the physical realm at a distance. He needed to be able to move light and fast, so wore minimal armor and carried only his pistol. The Corporal was back-up muscle, fairly young and very eager to make his mark in the Alliance military. As a standard soldier, Jenkins was a tough combatant, trained in a wide variety of standard weapons, who relied on martial arts, physical prowess and mental conditioning to outlast and outfight the enemy. A primary force troop wearing heavy armor and jumping right in to the thick of the fight, Shepard expected his load out to be a standard issue assault rifle, maybe with a back-up pistol for close combat.

As the team came to the crest of a hill, Shepard squatted and put her fist up to indicate a hold. Scanning ahead, she saw three attack drones in the distance; her fist changed to three fingers up, and then she pointed one of the drones out to Alenko. Suddenly the world exploded in motion...in the impatience of youthful exuberance, Jenkins jumped the mark before Shepard assigned him a target. He dashed out of cover, firing his assault rifle in the direction Shepard indicated, and took on the target that was supposed to be Alenko’s. The Lieutenant reacted quickly and tossed a biotic throw at the selected drone, finishing it off. Shepard threw a warp at the second drone, but that still left the third drone unaccounted for. The last drone rapidly riddled Jenkins' exposed self with armor piercing rounds. Shepard and Alenko both launched biotic attacks and then rolled out of cover with weapons drawn to finish the last two drones off.

Alenko ran to Jenkins to provide medical assistance and realized it was too late. "Commander! Those rounds cut right through his heavy armor!" He reached up and closed Jenkins' eyes and collected one of the dog tags off his chain, not quite sure what else to do.

Shepard looked at her brooding teammate. “Alenko, just mark his location, so we can send a recovery team when this is all over. No one gets left behind, but we’ve gotta move!” Shepard grimaced as they pressed on, not five minutes into the mission and already down a man. Definitely not a good day.   _I hate writing those damn next of kin letters._ They got back on the move and for quite a stretch all they found were more dead marines. The synthetics had advanced ammo and it was tearing the defending Marine units to pieces. Alenko thought the practice distasteful, but as they moved Shepard directed him to pull a dog tag from each body as well as salvage spare thermal clips and medigel. Alenko felt like they were robbing the dead.

As they continued to move forward, they finally started to hear gunfire, drawing closer by the second. Slapping her helmet to indicate take cover, Shepard ran forward to some rocks to find shelter. The pair moved from cover to cover as quickly as possible, as the gunfire continued to draw closer. Finally, as they worked around one last corner, they saw a lone marine performing a fighting withdrawal, greatly outnumbered by battle mechs of a type Shepard had only seen in history vids. _What the hell? Geth? They haven't been seen outside the Veil for over 200 years!_ She called out to Alenko, “LT, let’s save that marine!”

Focusing on the nearest mech, Shepard called on her biotics for her first charge of the day and blasted to the front, throwing the targeted mech like it was just hit by a 10-ton truck. Alenko tossed out a singularity and drew five of the remaining mechs into a floating pile in space, totally defenseless and easy pickings for his pistol. The tired marine whooped with a newfound sense of hope and picked off the remaining two mechs with her sniper rifle, breathing a huge sigh of relief.

Shepard called out, “Alenko, forward cover while I have a chat with our new friend here.”

As Alenko swept forward, the marine hustled over to Shepard and snapped off a sharp salute, “Gunnery Chief Ashley Williams of the 212, ma’am.” Shepard did quick introductions and then asked Chief Williams for a situation report, quickly learning the 212 has been pretty much wiped out and the synthetics were on Eden Prime in force.

Shepard was happy to see Williams was tired, but in good form and still able to fight, and gave the Chief a quick summary of everything they had run into since they made planet fall. When she was finished, Shepard looked Williams in the eye and asked, "You ready to avenge your unit and help us recovery that beacon, Chief?"

A cold fire kindled in Williams’ eyes, “Happy to lend a hand, ma’am. With your help, those damn robots are gonna pay for what they did to my squad.” Catching up to Alenko, they set off as a threesome once again. Shepard contacted Nihlus on the radio and updated him on the situation. The Spectre responded quickly, confirming her identification of the synthetics as Geth, and stated he was approaching the tram to the space port. Nihlus instructed Shepard to secure the beacon, while he would head to the port and cut off the departure location, to make sure the Geth didn’t try to take it off world.

Shepard glanced at her new squad, “You heard him, let's get moving. Chief, take us to the beacon.”

Williams nodded, "It's not far from here. The excavation site is just over this next ridge." As they crested the hill, the Chief stopped dead in her tracks; they had reached the dig site, and there was no beacon to be found. “Sorry, ma’am… they must have already prepped it and moved it to the space port.”

Shepard was not pleased by the development. _Crap, we’re way behind the power curve here…_ The commander growled, “All right people, we’ve got to pick up the pace and catch up to Nihlus at the space port. Let’s move it!” Progressing much more quickly now, they were almost out into a clearing atop the next hill before they saw the Dragon’s Teeth…tall metal spikes, with bodies impaled on them. They weren’t really bodies anymore…more like a husk with no skin, held together by tubes and muscle. Kaidan’s face went white as he surveyed the scene...no way to help them now. Shepard waved to continue past the gruesome sight, but as they began moving forward again, the closest spikes started to lower, retracting into themselves and disgorging the bodies stuck upon them. That in itself was bad enough…then the husks started moving.

All the husks started moving toward the Alliance soldiers, first in faltering steps but gradually smoothing out and picking up speed, almost as if they were suddenly relearning how to walk... then run! A pair of soulless metallic eyes focused on Shepard and she yelled, "Shit, those things are no longer human! Take 'em out!" The next sixty seconds were chaos. The husks attacked in animalistic melee, trying to gouge them with hands that more resembled claws, gunfire ripping the silence to shreds, and Shepard, in full biotic mode, charging from husk to husk, slamming into them with incredible force and finishing them with point blank shotgun blasts, bouncing from target to target like a pinball. After what seems an eternity of battle, she whirled around, quickly scanning for her next target and realized there were none. Panting with fatigue, the commander dropped to a knee and pulled out a tube of nutrient paste to help replenish her spent biotic energy.

Gunnery Chief Ashley Williams watched in awe, finding it hard to believe what she just witnessed...she'd now seen the hero of Elysium in full glory and quickly realized the reports she had read didn't even come close to the real thing. She walked over to Shepard and extended a hand to help Shepard back to her feet, "Damn... ma'am. I've heard the stories, but I've never seen anything like that in all my life!"

Shepard grinned and took the offered hand, rising back to her feet. "Just the life of a Vanguard, Chief. I'm surprised you've never worked with one before."

Williams looked at her and shook her head, "Not what I'm saying, ma'am. I have worked with Vanguards...I've just never seen any of them ever do anything like...that."

Rejecting the praise, Shepard just shrugged, "Then you haven't worked with any good Vanguards. There's a bunch of us crazies out there." With that, she fell silent and motioned with her hand for them to start moving again.

As they approached the tram station, they quickly realized it was crawling with Geth. On the high ground with plenty of cover, it was rather easy pickings for Williams and her sniper rifle, so Shepard and Alenko used their biotics to make it easy for Ash to pick them off, tossing out singularities that suspend the Geth, helpless, in mid air. When the last group had been suspended by Alenko, Shepard tossed out a warp, resulting in a spectacular explosion that threw Geth parts all over the station. As they cross the station to get to the tram, Shepard paused, her eye catching on the inert form of Nihlus... their bad day just got worse. _What the hell, Nihlus? Spectre killed by a single gunshot to the back of the head? No helmet?_ There was nothing at all right with that picture. A sound off to the side caught their attention and three guns trained instantly on a figure emerging from behind a stack of crates.   "Hey! Human here! Don't shoot me, please!" After a very brief, but tense, moment, they realized the human was not armed.

Shepard glared at the new arrival, "How the hell did you manage to not get caught by the Geth?"

The guy's face turned red with shame, but the revelation about the synthetics took over his response. "Geth? Those things aren't just mechs? Shit! I thought they were a fairy tale!"

Shepard slammed a new thermal clip into her shotgun and growled, "Answer the damn question..."

The guy immediately threw his hands up, "Alright already! Christ! Can't a guy be surprised by the mention of Geth?" Seeing the look from Shepard, he got around to answering. "I...I was on a lunch break, and was back here taking a nap when all the shooting started. I'm not an idiot! I stayed hidden!"

Williams snorted. "Yeah, right. Lunch break? It's 10 AM, you ass! You were saved because you're a lazy piece of shit, sleeping on the job! Can you at least tell us what the hell happened here?"

He told his story; a story of a second Turian, called Saren, who was responsible for Nihlus' death. Nihlus had known him, had trusted him and was shot in the back of the head execution style as a reward for that trust. The port worker then told them that Saren, with the beacon, had already taken the tram over to the loading docks.

As soon as she heard those words, Shepard cussed and started running. "Damn it! Let's move it people! I'm afraid we're going to be a day late and a dollar short to make this work!"

The first thing they saw when they jumped off the tram at the docks was a demolition charge. Alenko did a quick scan that revealed four total bombs, set to go off in just five minutes. Alenko started to diffuse the first one, talking at the same time. "Commander, we have to diffuse these! The combined yield of all four will be enough to destroy the whole colony...and us along with it!"

Cussing as they moved, Shepard and Williams started up the ramp toward the location of the second bomb, which proved difficult. More Geth were constantly flooding into the area from up on the docking ramp. Shepard glanced at Williams, "Cover my back! I need to move fast!"

Without waiting for a response, Shepard was gone in a blue streak of biotic charge, smashing into a group of Geth and then slapping them with a singularity, suspending them for the Chief to pick off one at a time while Shepard diffused the second bomb. Alenko finished with his and ran to catch up to the others, bypassing them when he realized they had it under control. He launched a singularity out at the next group of Geth and started picking them off with his pistol. Williams finished out the group floating over Shepard and moved to a more advantageous position to help out Alenko. As he saw the first Geth blown away by a sniper shot, he moved forward to the third bomb and started working on diffusing it.

AS Shepard finished up the second bomb, she hop-scotched over Alenko to get to the last bomb, which sat right near the entry gate to the port. Instead of catching the defending Geth, she dropped a singularity in the entryway to block any more from coming through, then pulled her shotgun and biotic charged into the Geth protecting the bomb. As they scattered with the force of the charge, she blasted the one closest and then charged again, once again utilizing her crash and blast with great effectiveness. Alenko ran up and put a barrier over himself and the last bomb, working to diffuse it, while Shepard and Williams finished the fight with the remaining synthetics. Alenko stood up and released his barrier, looking to Shepard. "Done, Commander. We may not have the beacon, but at least more innocent people aren't going to die."

Shepard grimaced; as an N7, she was trained to do whatever was necessary to get the mission done, and saving the colony wasn't the mission. She knew it was the right thing to do, but recovering the beacon was still the primary objective and yet to be completed. She released her singularity in the entryway, and they worked their way up the final ramp to the docks. There were even more Geth at the port and Shepard was amazed... the beacon was still sitting on the docks. Shepard grinned, "Sweet! Let's clear the port and call down the Normandy for recovery ops!"

The team went to work, and with all three team members coordinating fire, they managed to clear the last few Geth without too much difficulty and secured the beacon. Shepard got on the comm to Anderson and passed the word they were ready for pick up. As the Normandy started its approach from orbit, the team checked out their prize.

Chief Williams walked around the beacon with a puzzled look on her face, and finally commented on the fact that it was glowing, and that somehow it had been activated since it was moved. "Wasn't doing anything like that last time I saw it, ma'am. It was just a big chunk of metal, totally inert."

Suddenly, energy off the beacon arced out and grabbed onto Williams, pulling her toward the beacon. Shepard could see her struggling to get free to no avail and charged in, knocking Ashley out of the pull of the beam. She realized too late that all she did was change places with the Chief, because she fared no better in her attempt to escape as the beacon lifted her into the air. Suddenly, her body was stretched out in incredible agony, and she felt like she was being drawn and quartered, all while being assaulted by horrible visions of death and destruction being pounded into her head at an ever increasing velocity. As she watched unknown worlds burning, Shepard let loose a primal scream, feeling the fires of a burning world erupt from her throat; the incredible pain sent her quickly spiraling into darkness.

 


	3. Unacceptable Revelations

Visions of a reality not her own assaulted her senses; synthetics at war, destroying everything in their path, races unfamiliar vanishing from worlds unrecognized. Mass destruction, fire, pain. Screams of agony, in realization that they are watching the extinction of their species, totally unable to comprehend the magnitude of the enemy, even as they began to understand the inevitability of their own annihilation.

\-------------------------------

Shepard's eyes flew open as she scrambled to grab her weapon to fight some unknown enemy. As alarms started ringing, Dr Karin Chakwas moved immediately to her side. Samantha heard that familiar crisp British accent, a little more forceful than normal, and sounding a bit stressed. "Commander! Relax! You're back on the Normandy, in the med bay. Take a deep breath and lay back down, please!"

Shepard frantically surveyed the room, taking everything in at a glance, and stared at Karin as she eased herself back prone. "What the hell happened? How'd I get back here?"

Eying the commander critically, Karin spoke gently, "Alenko and Williams brought you back. What's the last thing you remember, Commander?"

Shepard narrowed her eyes, trying to block out the remembered pain. "Trying to keep that damn beacon from drawing me in. The thing made my head feel like it was going to explode!"

Karin breathed a sigh of relief as she answered, happy that memory loss seemed to not be an issue. "Well, something exploded, but it was the beacon, not your head. It tossed you a good distance in the process, but you escaped with just a dislocated shoulder, a mild concussion and some scratches and bruises. You don't remember anything else?"

Shepard noted the tone of that last question and wondered what the doc was getting at. "No, that's all I remember, but what aren't you telling me, Karin?"

Doctor Chakwas sighed, "Well, a minor concussion does not explain the fifteen hours it took for you to wake up, nor the unusual brain activity you were registering for the majority of that time. Physically, it was like you were in a coma...totally nonresponsive to outside stimuli, even though the anesthesia wore off hours ago,   Mentally, your brain activity said you were wide awake, involved in some very intellectually demanding task. It was off the charts." Karin shook her head, unable to make sense of the symptoms. "You seem wide awake now. If you feel alright, why don't you try sitting up?"

Samantha eased herself into a sitting position, dropping her legs over the side of the bed, and narrowed her eyes in contemplation. "Fifteen hours? Well, I may have an answer to that. Kind of... I was dreaming. No, not really. More like having a nightmare, but it wasn't. When I got close to the beacon... it... I don't know. It's like it was jamming pictures into my brain, and it just kept getting faster and faster, until I couldn't keep up. That's what made my head want to explode. Then they just kept replaying over and over in my mind. That's what I woke up to. They weren't very pleasant pictures."

The door on the med bay opened and Capt Anderson strode into the room. "How's my XO doing, Doctor?" He glanced quickly between the two, and then focused on Shepard.

Karin gave him a quick rundown on Shepard's physical condition, and then continued, "And, we were just starting to discuss her nightmare, or beacon images, whichever you want to call it." Anderson quirked an eyebrow, but said nothing.

Knowing the Captain was waiting, Samantha explained what she remembered of the visions. "It's all very disjointed. I have no idea what it means, and I didn't recognize any of the places. Since it's a Prothean beacon, I assume the majority of the people I saw were Prothean, but there was more than one race." She paused, then her head snapped up and she blurted, "By the way, how's Alenko?"

Anderson smiled in response. "He's fine, Commander, as is Chief Williams. We couldn't very well leave her on Eden Prime without her squad, and both she and Alenko needed some minor medical treatment, so everyone's on board. Based on Kaidan's mission report and personal recommendation, we're going to keep the Chief on crew. Heard she's a hell of shot with that sniper of hers, and good in a fight."

Shepard nodded in agreement, "I concur, Captain. She lost her whole squad, but she didn't let it stop her...she stepped right up. Though, I'm sure someone's going to want to talk to her about that before they complete transfer paperwork to the Normandy. You might want to consider her for N-school."

Anderson's eyebrows rose at her last comment, but he didn't address it. It was obvious he wanted her for the Normandy mission, at least for the short term. "Don't you worry about that, Commander. Dr Chakwas did an initial evaluation, and William's transfer paperwork is already waiting for Admiral Hackett's signature at the Citadel. Which, by the way, we should be at very shortly. The Council is going to demand a full accounting. Geth attacking Eden Prime, a Council Spectre dead, and the beacon we were sent to recover completely destroyed.   Not exactly a textbook operation by any standard. They want answers, and Saren isn't an easy scapegoat. He's also a Spectre."

Shepard's face turned beat red, suffused with anger. "You've got to be kidding me! Saren's a Spectre? We have is the truth, and an eyewitness testimony! They can't turn that around and lay that shit on us! And we've verified it really was Geth? Geth, beyond the Vail! And led by a damn Spectre to boot! Intel really dropped the ball on this one, Sir. We had no idea what kind of cluster fuck we were walking into."

"Take it easy, Commander. No one said anything about them laying this on you. They just need to know what happened. I've had run-ins with Saren before, and he's the Council's golden boy. And no matter who we're talking about, they aren't going to take the word of a smuggler against a Council Spectre, especially since you never actually saw Saren to confirm any part of the story... And Geth haven't been seen in centuries...no way intel could have predicted that one unless they had a damn crystal ball. Now, get yourself cleaned up and get some food in your stomach, we've got an appointment with Ambassador Udina."

Shepard hung her head, lowering her voice as she said, "Sir, before you go... about Jenkins... he was inexperienced... I should have watched him closer...he was a good soldier."

"Don't worry about that, Commander. He was a Corporal, not some fresh recruit. You have your own job out there; you can't be doing every soldier's job on top of it. Plus, not having any idea when you were going to wake up, I've already taken care of next of kin notifications. He was from Eden Prime; the relief forces will get his remains to his family." Anderson turned to Dr Chakwas, "Obviously keep me updated on her mission readiness, Doctor. I'm hoping the Citadel is just a short stop before she's back out on the job."

\-------------------------------

After getting in a shower and into a clean uniform, Shepard walked into the mess hall to see Alenko and Williams sitting together at a table. After grabbing a cup of coffee and something remotely resembling lasagna, Shepard pulled up a chair, and stuffed chow in her face while starting a conversation. "Hey guys, how you holding up?"

Ashley glanced at her with a guilty look on her face. "I should be asking you that, ma'am. You're the one that got blown half way across the loading dock, all because I got too damn close to that thing."

Shepard chuckled, "Ahhh, no worries, Chief. It's nothing you did. I make a habit of that...just ask the doc how many times she's put me back together after a mission. That one was a walk in the park. By the way, when we're off duty or in private conversation, it's just Shepard. No ma'am, no Commander. Just two folks having a chat."

The chief gave her a quick nod, "Yes, ma'am. Ahhhh, sorry. Might take me a while to get used to that. You can just call me Ash. And thanks... for helping me take back Eden Prime from those tin cans. I still can't believe...my whole damn squad... Shit! Sorry." Ashley looked down at the table, blinking back tears she didn't want the commander to see.

"Hmph. Sorry, twice in the same speech. Unacceptable Ash. You've got nothing to apologize for, unless you sent the Geth an invitation, and I'm pretty sure we can pin that one on Saren. We all took a beating today. Losing good folks is never easy, but we're soldiers. It's an unfortunate fact in a soldier's life. Doesn't mean we have to like it, but we do have to live with it...just promise yourself to do better next time. Don't let their deaths be in vain. If you want, I can help you with next of kin notices..." The commander's voice faded out as she watched Ashley's reaction.

Ashley's head came back up and she met Shepard's eyes as she answered. "No, ma'am. I'm on that one. I knew them all, knew their families. It's on me to take care of them, best I know how...but thanks for the offer. I..." She paused for just a moment. "Never mind, you know."

"Yeah, I do. Anyway, get some rest, both of you. We're headed to the Citadel to meet with the Council, and Anderson says it's not going to be pretty, so dress up nice and bring your best behavior. I think we're going to need it. Well, I've got a report to get done before we hit dockside. Later!" Shepard dumped her dishes in the cleaning bin and headed off to her room.

Ash looked at Kaidan with wonder on her face. "She always like that? Up close and personal with her crew, that is?"

Kaidan's eyes followed the commander for a bit, and then finally looked back at the chief as he answered her question. "As long as I've known her, which I have to admit hasn't been long. But, I've never heard a bad word from anyone she's ever worked with. Doc Chakwas has great things to say about her, professionally that is, she's not much one for rumor mongering. Personally, Shepard seems very reserved. Hard to get to know. Everyone else sits around bullshitting while playing cards or relaxing, and she's always been pretty private. Other than her military record and chats like the one we just had, I don't know much about her."

A look of awe passed over the chief's face. "Well, her record certainly speaks for itself! Damn, when she blasted by me today and played ping pong with those husks... holy shit that was impressive! I mean, I knew she was the Hero of Elysium and that she's a Vanguard, but knowing it and seeing her in action are two different things, ya know?"

Neither Kaidan nor Ashley realized that Dr Chakwas had strolled up with a cup of tea. "Don't let her hear you raving on like that. She'll call you on it, tell you she's just doing her duty, and it's not your job to discuss it. You're right, Kaidan, she is very private. She'd make a good Brit. Both of you should respect that. It will take you far in her eyes." Both soldiers looked like three-year olds caught with their hand in the cookie jar, as Karin chuckled and returned to her office to finish up her medical reports.

\-------------------------------

When they were fifteen minutes out from the Citadel, Shepard left her cabin and walked up to the bridge to get a view of the huge structure as they came into dock. No matter how many times she'd seen it, it was always impressive. To think it was still a functioning piece of technology left over from the Prothean empire was enough to spur interest in the otherwise dead culture, for her at least. But then again, she was a student of history, so maybe that wasn't necessarily saying much.   Joker was harassing Kaidan when she walked up, so she stopped and leaned in the doorway, not speaking.

"Soooooo, LT, find anything in your extranet search? I mean, come on, I know you spent some time today with the two nicest asses on the Normandy, but really? Searching on 'Ashley Williams naked' isn't going to get you anywhere other than in hot water!"

Alenko's neck turned bright red as Joker spoke. "What? How?.... And what are you doing, shadowing my extranet terminal?"

Joker could hardly contain himself. "How else am I going to be able to afford a nice bottle of Serrice Ice Brandy and support my porn habit, if you aren't buying them for me...right LT? I mean we are coming into the Citadel, and the Presidium has some pretty nice stores..."

"Has anyone ever told you you're an ass, Moreau?" Alenko's expression quickly changed from embarrassed to perturbed.

"All the time, LT, all the time. Speaking of ass... So, you were following the Commander's mighty fine ass around quite a bit today, so your opinion is highly qualified. I hear that in real life, it's..."

"Standing right behind you, Flight Lieutenant." Shepard glowered at the back of the flight lieutenant's head.

Joker momentarily froze, then slowly turned in his chair to find the source of the ominous sounding voice, which turned out to really be right behind him. _My life as I know it is now over._

"Oh, um, hey, Commander. Didn't hear you come in..." Joker at least had the good sense to look apologetic.

The commander, however, wasn't in a very forgiving mood, growling at the two helmsmen. "Apparently not, since you seemed to be having quite the time conversing about Chief Williams, and let's see... what else? Oh, yeah. My. Mighty. Fine. Ass. No worries, boys. Seeing as we're approaching the docking bay, we don't really have time for all that paperwork right now, do we?" Her growl changed to a vindictive decree, "However, once back on board, we are going to have the cleanest kitchen, bathrooms, and trash chutes in the Alliance Fleet. And if I don't find them satisfactory, you get to do it again, and again, and again, until I do. Have a nice day. Thank you, and I hope you enjoyed flying Alliance Air." With that, Shepard turned and left the bridge.

_Shit shit shit shit shit! Moreau, you are such a freaking moron!_

Kaidan didn't say a word, but Joker knew from the murderous look cast his way that there would be no brandy or porn vids headed his way any time soon.

\-------------------------------

Shepard enjoyed walking into Udina's office. Not because she particularly liked the Ambassador, but because when they entered, he was in a particularly 'animated' discussion, his arms flailing, and he was getting his ass handed to him by the Council. Served the self-centered political toadie right. _I hate politicians._

As the call ended, Udina turned to Anderson. "Bunch of self-absorbed jack asses. They refuse to believe their wonderful Spectre could have anything to do with this. They won't suspend his Spectre status, but at least they are willing to hear us out." He paused in his tirade and took in the whole scene before him. "Did you really feel the need to bring half your crew with you for this meeting?

Anderson calmly replied, "Only those who were on the ground at Eden Prime, Ambassador... just in case the Council had any questions about what was in the mission report."

Udina sneered, "I think they've done quite enough to call our chances at a human Spectre into question...but if you insist. Our meeting with the Council is in two hours, Shepard. Be there then and not one second later. I assume you know how to read a chrono? Dismissed." Shepard just looked at the Ambassador in amazement at being discharged so indifferently. She double checked with Anderson, who nodded and pointed to the door with a quick movement of his head while giving her the 'I know he's an ass' eye roll. Shepard turned smartly, and catching Alenko and Williams' attention, they stepped back out into the hall.

"Well, that went well!" Shepard chuckled. "Guess he had to beat up on someone for the whipping he took from the Council. At least he got us an audience. Let's see what kind of trouble we can get into in two hours, shall we?" Little did they know just what all lay in store for them.

They had barely gotten outside, when they heard a voice call out Ashley's name. The three turned to the sound of the voice, and Ash turned extremely pale, and whispered, "Samesh?"

Noting Ashley's reaction, Shepard quickly stepped between the man and Ashley, quite efficiently blocking his access and looking quite imposing for her small stature. Dropping her hand to her pistol, she stared him down and demanded, "Who are you and what the hell do you want with one of my crew?"

Ashley quickly came to his defense, "No, Commander, it's OK. I know him... I served with his wife on Eden Prime. She... Nirali Bhattia was part of the 212..."

Shepard blinked and apologized, the steeliness of her eyes immediately softening in understanding. "My condolences, sir, I understand the 212 fought heroically to protect the civilians on Eden Prime. I'm sorry for your loss." She then quickly stepped back so the two could talk. Most of the bodies from Eden Prime had been brought to the Citadel, but for some reason, Nirali's body was not being released, and they wouldn't tell Samesh why. Ashley gave the commander a searching look and Shepard stepped up to the implied request for help. "Mr Bhattia, who said you couldn't take Nirali home?"

Samesh, tears streaming down his face, looked at her. "Please, Commander, I need to bury her. I need to bury my wife. The man's name is Clerk Bosker, and he's in the Embassy Lounge right now, a table just across from the main door. He's dressed in a purple suit."

Samantha looked at Kaidan. "You're here. Do not leave Mr Bhattia alone. Ash, you're with me." Commander Shepard turned sharply and headed with determination straight to the lounge, making a beeline to the man in purple. "Clerk Bosker? I believe we need to have a chat."

"I'm extremely busy right now, so if this isn't an emergency, please call my office and make an appointment," not even bothering to look up from his datapad.

Shepard glared, and with a low voice said, "I'm Commander Samantha Shepard and my associate is Gunnery Chief Ashley Williams, Alliance Marines, and we didn't fly across the galaxy from Eden Prime to waste anyone's time, Mr Bosker."

Bosker's head snapped up and he subconsciously tugged at his collar. "C-Commander Sh-Shepard? Yes, of course. What can I do for you, ma'am?"

After a brief discussion about unique Geth weapons signatures needing to be studied, and the needs of research and development, it seemed Bosker was no closer to releasing the body to a grieving husband. Bosker finally stated flat out, "Commander, we need that body to develop better defenses against Geth technology." After putting up with the disrespect from Ambassador Udina, Shepard was done with bureaucratic bullshit and leaned very much into Bosker's personal space as she rested her hand on her pistol grip.

With eyes like daggers and a voice that dropped to the pits of hell, she spoke. "Let me make myself perfectly clear, Mr Bosker. I was at Eden Prime. We left uncounted dead Geth and all their weapons laying all over the ground from one end of Eden Prime to the other. You have plenty of material to work with for your precious R&D, without holding ANY human remains back from their families. You are not a body on a slab with a grieving widow needing to bury you to get on with their life, so you obviously lack a fundamental understanding of that pain. That knowledge deficiency will be remedied if I don't hear from a very thankful Mr Bhattia by the end of today. Do. We. Understand. Each. Other?"

Bosker was suddenly trembling and sweating profusely. "Y-yes, ma'am. I... I need to m-make some c-calls, immediately!"

Shepard stepped back. "Make them, Clerk Bosker, and you better hope I get a thank you from Mr Bhattia by the end of the day. If we need to discuss this further, I won't need my voice."

She quickly turned and walked out of the lounge. Ashley quickly followed two steps behind, thinking of how the Shepard who sat down and had an easy going chat with her troops at lunch was so much in contrast to the pissed off Commander Shepard she just saw with Bosker. She prayed THAT Commander Shepard never had any reason, ever, to be mad at her! Combined with the biotic display she had seen on Eden Prime, that woman now scared the shit out of Gunnery Chief Williams, and that generally wasn't an easy thing to accomplish.

When they got back outside, Shepard wheeled around to Ashley and took a long, slow deep breath to relax. "Williams. That conversation never took place. I will never hear so much as a peep of any part of what I said to that man. Understood?" Ashley didn't say a word, just vigorously shook her head yes. "Good.   Now, let's go talk to Samesh." When they got back to Samesth, they found him and Kaidan sitting on a bench. Shepard knelt down so she could look him square in the eye to inform him he would be getting his wife's body back before the end of the day. She reached across to his omnitool and punched some data in. "That's my personal number. One way or another, you call me before the end of today and let me know what happens, OK? We'll get this fixed. I promise."

Samesh looked at her with tears in his eyes. "Thank you, Commander. I never expected to get help like this from a complete stranger. I am honored that you would take the time to assist me." Shepard patted his knee, and then stood up, signaling Kaidan to give Samesh and Ashley some privacy and they walked a short distance off to the side while the two friends consoled each other in their loss.

After taking her time with Samesh, Ashley rejoined Kaidan and the commander. Since they still had over an hour to kill, Shepard decided it was time to hit a bar and drink a toast to everyone lost at Eden Prime. She was still pretty upset over the whole Bosker stupidity, but that wasn't the only thing. Over time, she had developed a pretty good sixth sense that had kept her alive over and above all her training. It had been yelling at her loud and clear ever since they met Samesh, but she just couldn't nail it down. Wanting to stay out of the crowds, Shepard directed them down a back alleyway. As they rounded the last corner before the dingy bar, Chora's Den, three mercenaries popped out of hiding. Shepard was already on edge, so as soon as she saw the first assault rifle coming up, she pulled up a barrier. Without hesitation, Ashley's sniper rifle snapped out and Kaidan was throwing a singularity out over the merc closest to them. Ash polished that merc off with her first shot, while the commander was pulling out her Locust submachine gun and nailing merc number two. Mercenary number three wasn't so foolish. His rifle flew out over the wall, and a disembodied voice said he wasn't getting paid enough to die. Two hands came up over the wall and he slowly stood up. Ash trained her sights and said, "I've got him, Commander. Do whatever you need to do."

Shepard pulled up her tech armor just to be safe, and walked toward him, never dropping her Locust SMG. "Who sent you?"

The merc laughed. "Like I'm gonna tell you that. If I do, I'm dead."

Shepard raised her eyebrows. "No. If you do, you can hide. If you don't, you're dead."

The merc sneered, "You won't kill me in cold blood."

"Let's see." The commander pointed, "Merc kill number one." She pointed again, "Merc kill number two." She then pointed her SMG at his knee. "You can't run and hide if I cap you. You'll go to prison. Whoever sent you will know you failed. You'll die in prison...or worse. I don't need to kill you, just keep you from getting away, and that's pretty much in the bag. So what do ya say, Merc number three? Saren? That's my guess... The real question is why."

"I say, fuck me. They don't pay me to know why." He suddenly dived out to the side and pulled a pistol out from his back as he was rolling. As soon as he stopped moving and went to point the pistol, Ashley took her shot and his head snapped back from the impact on his forehead, just before he collapsed dead on the ground.

Shepard glanced at the chief and shook her head, "Well, damn.   Thanks, Ash. More guts than I gave him credit for. Maybe just desperate. So much for our free time. Drinks later guys, let's clean up this mess and get to the Council before we're late."

 


	4. In the Crosshairs

The Council audience was a complete waste of time. Captain Anderson hit the nail on the head when he said they wouldn't take the word of a smuggler over that of one of their Council Spectres. Saren was actually present at the hearing via hologram, dripping in sarcasm, deriding Shepard as a screw up, and questioning why he needed to defend himself against nothing more than the nightmares of an incompetent Alliance officer. It took every ounce of Shepard's self-control to not shout at the Spectre's holo.

After the hearing, Udina was livid, not only because of the results of the Council audience, but also from the political blowback from Shepard's open gunfight in the wards. The only thing positive to come from the visit to the Council chambers was a conversation they overheard on the way in the door, between the Executor and a Citadel Security officer, Garrus Vakarian. Garrus was adamant about needing more time for his investigation into Saren, and the Executor said he had no more time to give; the audience was occurring as they spoke, and there was no delaying it. Anderson agreed the C-Sec officer may be a good lead, and Anderson had an idea on how to find him; they needed to go talk to a suspended C-Sec officer by the name of Harkin...normally found at Chora's Den.

Anderson also recommended Shepard talk to a financial expert named Barla Von...he was an agent for the Shadow Broker, the top information broker in the galaxy. The information might be expensive, but with a disgraced C-Sec officer as their only other lead, they didn't have a lot of options. The commander was pretty disgusted with the whole process and just wanted to get off the Citadel and back to work, so decided to divide and conquer to speed things up. Since she had the Normandy expense account, Shepard took the information broker, and sent Kaidan and Ashley back to Chora's Den, admonishing them to be extremely careful. Fortunately, the second trip to the Den was much less eventful. With a bit of friendly persuasion, a little bit of time, and a few rounds of drinks, Harkin finally pointed them to a small medical clinic in the wards, run by Dr Chloe Michel.

Barla Von didn't really have much in the way of information on Saren, but he did have some actionable intel. He pointed Shepard to a Krogan bounty hunter, named Urdnot Wrex, currently on a not so voluntary trip to C-Sec. On the way out of the financial district, Shepard was approached by an Asari maiden, saying she had a very important message from the Consort Sha'ira. Shepard snorted, "What's the Consort want with me? I've heard getting in to see her is near impossible, and the waiting list for those who do make the list is almost a year long." The acolyte agreed, but assured Shepard the Consort wished to see her immediately, as she had a task for which Shepard was uniquely qualified to handle. Figuring Wrex as a 'guest' of C-Sec probably wasn't going anywhere fast, Shepard allowed her curiosity to win out and decided to accommodate the Consort.

As the acolyte promised, Shepard was whisked immediately into the Consort's chambers, not quite sure what to expect. The Consort, while very gracious, was all business, informing Shepard that a Turian general named Septimus wanted more from her than she could provide as a consort. In his disappointment, he had begun to spread lies that would negatively impact the Consort's reputation. If Shepard could somehow put a stop to such activity, the Consort told her she would be very grateful and reward Shepard accordingly...and the general just happened to be drinking his life away in Chora's Den. Shepard was to return to the Consort after the task was complete to receive a reward.

As Shepard left the Consort's chambers, she called Kaidan to find out how they made out with Harkin and to tell them about Septimus. Kaidan and Ashley were taken by the irony in their situation; their first job was to get Harkin drunk so he'd spill the info on Garrus and then they had to turn around and keep Septimus from drinking, so he wouldn't spill info on the Consort. The second job actually turned out to be both less expensive and easier. Septimus was a high ranking Turian general, and Kaidan and Ashley, as fellow military members, just needed to remind Septimus about duty and honor. They eventually convinced him to make himself back into what an honorable General should be. He not only agreed, but also offered them a reward for helping him clean up his mistakes. Because of certain actions Septimus had taken, a certain Elcor diplomat believed Sha'ira to blame for certain 'secrets' getting out about the diplomat, so the Elcor was in the process of lodging a complaint against the consort. Septimus offered up a datapad and a delivery fee; all they needed to do was deliver the pad to the Elcor and explain it was Septimus who released the data, not the Consort. Kaidan agreed to do it, mainly because he knew the Embassy offices were right above C-Sec and Shepard was already on her way there.

Kaidan called Shepard back and gave her a quick update on Septimus and passed her the follow up info for the Elcor diplomat. Shepard just growled, "Christ, can nothing be as simple as it sounds on the face of it?" She agreed to go upstairs and take care of the Elcor, while Kaidan and Ash went to catch up with Garrus at the clinic.

They found the clinic easy enough, but as the door opened they saw Garrus crouched down behind a wall, and a merc up close and personal with someone they assumed was Dr Michel. "Listen, Doc. We don't wanna hurt ya, but we need to make sure you don't tell nobody about the suit rat. Simple enough, right? You talk, you die. Easy."

The merc heard the door, grabbed the doc and put a pistol to her head. Two more thugs standing in the background move to cover behind some supply boxes and a desk. As soon as they heard the threat while walking in the door, Kaidan pulled his pistol and Ashley her assault rifle. Ash just laughed. "Really? You're gonna kill a doc? You shoot her, we shoot you. Our guns are bigger. We're wearing armor. We win. Game over."

The merc leader didn't give an inch. "There's three of us, only two of you."

This time Kaidan chuckled. "The funny part is, there's three of us too, you just don't know where the third one is, and for you... that is a serious problem."

The gunman faltered for just a moment, searching rapidly with his eyes for the elusive third gunman, and that was all Garrus needed. Popping up, he fired his weapon and the merc holding Dr Michel collapsed to the ground. At soon as Garrus started moving, Kaidan threw a shockwave across the room, knocking the other two thugs down with crashing boxes and a suddenly mobile desk being shoved hard into them. Ashley took care of them before they even found their feet again. Ashley nodded at the Turian in appreciation of his skill, "Nice shot, Vakarian."

Garrus nodded in thanks to Ashley, and then glanced at Kaidan, "Nicely played, Lieutenant, but I believe you have me at a disadvantage."

After brief introductions all around, they got to Dr Michel and the reason the thugs were there in the first place. Apparently, a Quarian by the name of Tali'Zorah nar Rayya came into the clinic with a gunshot wound. She was in possession of audio evidence of Saren's connection to the Geth attack on Eden Prime. She intended to sell it to an agent of the Shadow Broker, named Fist, but Garrus told them word on the street is the agent had been bought by Saren, and the Broker had put a contract out on Fist. They all agree they needed to find the agent before he found the Quarian. Kaidan and Ashley headed out the door, and Garrus was hot on their heels. "Don't think you're gonna take that bastard down without me! I'm right behind you!"

Kaidan immediately placed a call to Shepard to tell her they were headed back to Chora's Den yet one more time. Shepard had already arrived at C-Sec, and heard Wrex giving the officers a hard time. "You can't arrest me for thinking about killing Fist. I haven't done it yet."

Her omnitool chirped and when she saw it was on the priority channel, Shepard stopped and took Kaidan's call. All thoughts of Wrex fell by the wayside and she jumped on the mass transit shuttle to get to the wards as fast as she could, telling Kaidan to wait for her. She caught up to the crew just outside Chora's Den...and Wrex showed up while they were going over the game plan. Wrex literally growled at them, "I just saw you at C-Sec... you messing with my bounty? Shadow Broker's paying good money to make Fist dead. If that means I need to kill you too, that can be arranged."  

Shepard looked at Wrex and instantly recognized that he was a Krogan Battlemaster; having him on their side would definitely be to their advantage. "Listen Wrex, I don't give a crap about Fist long term, but I need some info from him before you make him disappear. Help us get the info, and Fist is all yours."

Wrex grumped, "I'm normally a solo act. Why should I care about you and your info?"

Shepard shrugged her shoulders, "Why? Because Fist knows we're coming and has the place locked up tight with a couple dozen guys inside all fighting from defensive positions. Getting in won't to be easy alone, even for you, and this info we need is important...like save the galaxy from a rogue Spectre with an army of Geth, important."

Wrex flashed a toothy grin, "Well, then. You put it that way and it sounds like a hell of a fight... and I'm not talking Fist's chumps. I'm talking the army of Geth... that's a worthy battle. Let me have Fist when you're done with him _and_ let me come along for the whole ride... You've got yourself a deal."

Shepard grinned like a kid in a candy store. "Urdnot Wrex, that's the best deal I've gotten all day! Name's Shepard, by the way. We'll introduce the rest later." Fist and his men had no idea what hit them. A small army of thugs had no chance against two biotics, two snipers and a Krogan Battlemaster; hardly even a tale worth telling. Once they got into the office, Fist coughed up the info pretty quick, thinking it was going to save his skin. Unfortunately, he realized too late that the Shadow Broker bounty was nonnegotiable. Shepard grabbed up Fist's data disks, thinking the info might have some future trade value, maybe with Barla Von, and the team headed out...they had a tight timeline. The Quarian was to meet Saren's agents in one of the back alleys within the next five minutes.

Tali paced back and forth in the alley, wondering where her contact was. They were late, and it made her nervous. She'd already been shot once since coming onto the Citadel, and her prospects of actually surviving this whole scenario weren't looking good at the moment. Thinking she heard something in the back of the alley, she quickly glanced back over her shoulder, but then heard a voice from in front of her, so her head snapped back around.

"Did you bring it?" A large Turian suddenly materialized in front of her, way too close for comfort.   _Where the hell did he come from?_

"Who are you? Where's Fist?" _This is looking worse by the minute, you naive little girl!_

The Turian sounded very condescending as he spoke, "Oh, come now. Surely you didn't think Fist or the Broker would handle this in person now, did you?"

Tali heard a noise behind her again, and she glanced back to see two Salarians with pistols ready. _You Bosh'tet!_ Suddenly, her hand flipped out and launched a flash-bang grenade toward the Salarians as she rolled back away from the Turian, but the explosion was not what she expected...

Shepard and crew rounded the corner, weapons drawn, just as Tali flicked her wrist. "Shit, already in play," Shepard yelled, as she charged the Turian in a flash of blue biotics. Kaidan launched a singularity and Ashley, Garrus and Wrex obliterated the two Salarians in an instant. The Turian was caught off guard, but reacted quickly. Knocked back by the charge, he pulled his shields up as he fell, before Shepard could get off her standard shotgun kill shot. Shepard realized she was in trouble; the charge depleted her biotic reserve so she had no barrier, her shotgun would be useless against the Turian's full strength shield, and that same Turian had a Carnifex Hand Cannon aimed point blank at her chest. _Shit._

As soon as Tali had rolled back, she had started working furiously on her omnitool. Suddenly it sparked to life and pulsed, the Turian's Carnifex suddenly overheated and became completely and utterly useless. That bought Shepard's team time to initiate their second round of attack, and the entire team brought their fire to bear on the single remaining target, first collapsing the Turian's shield, then riddling his body with holes and turning him into a very dead corpse. Shepard whooped, and with a big grin on her face, shouted back over her shoulder, "Now THAT'S what I call back-up, people!"

She spun on her heel and faced Tali. "Either you're Tali'Zorah nar Rayya, or we just saved the wrong Quarian. I'm Commander Shepard, and that gaggle behind you is the ground crew from the Alliance Frigate SSV Normandy. We need your help. We need your evidence against Saren."

Tali stared at Shepard in amazement. "Keelah! Is there anyone who doesn't know what I have on my omnitool?"

Shepard laughed and shook her head. "Trust me Tali'Zorah, we are not just anybody, and you are the first light in a long dark tunnel we've been walking for some time now. First priority is to get you safe, and then you can show us what you've got."

Shepard couldn't see through Tali's mask, but the young Quarian hesitated before speaking, "And why should I trust you?"

Shepard shrugged, "No reason at all, other than we helped you out of a pretty bad jam... and we didn't just kill you and take your omnitool." Shepard stepped away, giving Tali a clear exit out to the main Citadel. "And, you're free to leave at any time. We're not here to coerce you, just give you options. But I'm hunting Saren, and if you've got something on him, it sure would help me out."

The gambit paid off and Tali agreed, "Well, you did just save me, so I guess I owe you at least an explanation." Shepard sent everyone to the Normandy except Tali and Alenko and they headed back to the Ambassador's office. Shepard quickly placed a call to Captain Anderson to tell him what happened and requested he meet them at Udina's office. The Ambassador was none too impressed when Shepard showed up in his office with yet another alien in tow, but quelled his complaints when he figured out the advantages the information presented him. Tali's info proved Saren's involvement with the Geth and the planned attack on Eden Prime. Once they met with the Council, the second voice on the recording was identified as a powerful Asari, Matriarch Benezia. When they listened to the entire recording it filled in some of the blanks. Apparently the whole plan by Saren was an attempt to locate some ancient technology, referred to as the Conduit, with an end goal of the return of the Reapers; ending life as the galaxy knew it. That sum of knowledge led to many things--Saren's spectre status was revoked and handed to Shepard, along with the mission of pursuing Saren into the Terminus System. To complete that mission, Captain Anderson had to step down as Commander of the Normandy and turn the ship over to Shepard, along with two starting leads. First, finding Geth probably meant finding Saren, and there were reports of Geth on the planets of Noveria and Feros. The second lead was an archeologist and Prothean expert, Dr Liara T'Soni, who just happened to be the daughter of Matriarch Benezia, and was somewhere on the planet Therum.

As she reboarded the Normandy, Shepard thought about the images the beacon stuffed into her head. Synthetics... _Reapers?_ wiping all those lives from the galaxy. She went to the bridge to talk to Joker and lay in a course. _If we don't stop Saren, this is going to get bad. Very, very bad._

\-------------------------------

Nassana Dantius, an Asari diplomatic emissary assigned to the Citadel, was sitting in the Embassy Lounge and had watched a whole scene unfold before her, where a Systems Alliance Lieutenant Commander chewed up and spit out some poor clerk. Dantius quickly recognized that Shepard was a force to be reckoned with and filed that information away for possible later use. After she heard the commander had been selected to be the first human Spectre, the wheels started to turn and she soon came up with a plan to solve a particularly sticky problem that had been irritating her for a while. She merely had to wait for the right time to implement it.

\-------------------------------

Spectre or not, in Shepard's eyes, locating an entire squad of missing marines took precedence over finding some Asari scientist who may or may not be able to help them. She found it hard to believe the Council stonewalled Admiral Kahoku and wouldn't even give him a hearing. Shepard stalked onto the bridge, "Joker, set a course to Edolus. We've wasted enough time playing bullshit political games. I'll only say this once. I know they gave Anderson the shaft on this deal, and I aim to make him proud. Let me know when we're two hours out."

As Shepard turned to leave, Joker spoke up. "Uh, Commander? I don't want to over-reach here, but we... the crew... we know what happened, and we don't blame you for it... and we're all behind you 100 percent. I can give you an open mike if you want to make a ship wide broadcast...?"

Shepard stopped and sighed. "You know what, Flight Lieutenant, that might not be a bad idea." With the start of her announcement, every single person on the Normandy stopped what they were doing and listened to the voice over the comm.

"This is Commander Shepard speaking. We have our orders: find Saren before he finds the Conduit. For too long our species has stood apart from the others. Now it's time for us to step up and do our part for the rest of the galaxy! Time to show them we know how to be a part of the greater Galactic community! I won't lie to you. This mission isn't going to be easy. Our enemy knows we're coming. When we go into the Traverse, Saren's followers will be waiting for us, but we'll be ready for them too. We need to do this. Not just for our own sake, but for the sake of every species in Citadel Space. Saren must be stopped, and I promise you all... we will stop him!"

As soon as she was done, Shepard went to her room and packed up what little personal gear she had. As much as she hated it, she needed to move to the Captain's quarters of the Normandy. She felt guilty as she approached the door, feeling she should be stopping and knocking, but with every pair of eyes in the Normandy on her back, she opened the door and stepped through without hesitation. She looked around and absorbed it all in. It was different than she remembered. Having it be hers gave it a different perspective than when she'd been called in to speak with the Captain. She glanced at the stack of paperwork waiting on the desk and thought about the mission and crew at hand. Under the pretense of the Normandy now being a Spectre, not Alliance, ship, she had shoved some new crew members down Udina's throat. What a motley bunch. A Turian, ex C-Sec officer, from conversations thus far, who seems like he might be one to bend the rules; have to keep an eye on that, make sure they bend but don't break. A Quarian...young, but seems pretty intelligent, has a good head, and a knack for tech gadgets. Could come in really handy for hacking and overloads, especially against a synthetic enemy like the Geth. Then Wrex; a Krogan Battlemaster for God sake! Nothing like bringing a towering biotic tank on board. As long as they provided him good targets so he didn't get bored, he should work out just fine.

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Shepard, Garrus and Ashley loaded up in the Mako and dropped on the planet Edolus. Edolus wasn't the most hospitable place; if the freezing temperature and the non-breathable atmosphere weren't enough, there was also the combination of a neighboring gas giant and an asteroid belt which delivered a constant supply of meteors impacting the planet's surface. If you were lucky, it made exploration interesting; if unlucky, it made it deadly.

When the Mako made surface contact, Ashley chipped in the moment sensors came on line. "Ma'am. We've got four contacts... one immediately behind us appears to be a burning M29 Grizzly, no organic signatures. A few mineral deposits, an unknown electronic signature, and the emergency beacon. No signs of hostiles, organic or... otherwise." Ashley added that last bit thinking of the Geth before continuing, "The beacon is almost dead ahead, just a couple klicks."

"Thanks, Chief. I want you on the machine gun. Garrus, take the cannon. Just in case." She didn't look at either, just accepted their verbal acknowledgements as she focused on driving the ungainly Mako. Fortunately, the terrain wasn't difficult, but she still had to concentrate on where she was going because some rather large meteors were keeping things a bit interesting. They were easy enough to spot with their blazing smoke trails, and their purely ballistic paths made their impact point easy enough to predict and dodge... as long as one was paying attention.

They quickly eased up on an open mesa, surrounded by a ring of relatively low hills. Almost dead center on the mesa was another M29 Grizzly, with the emergency beacon not far away. With three sets of eyes on target, no one saw even the slightest hint of movement. Shepard sighed heavily, realizing quickly that any Marines here were now just corpses covered by blowing dust. "Chief, you didn't see any sign of the ship that brought them here, did you?"

Realization dawned in Ashley's eyes and she responded quickly. "No ma'am, I didn't. Something's not right here, huh. If they were stranded, there should be a crashed shuttle at the very least; and with a Griz, there should be at least a large frigate...or someone should have survived to report the accident."

Garrus flipped his mandibles in irritation as he started to follow the gist of the conversation. "Sooo... you're saying they were dropped off here and this was a set-up?"

Shepard's eyes narrowed as she spoke, "Yeah. Got it in one, Vakarian. Even if it was pirates... if they took the time to follow them down here to kill them and steal their ship, they would have taken the extra couple minutes to disable the beacon to give themselves more time to get away before someone responded." Rather than head straight at the beacon, Shepard eased forward slowly, turning the wheel to take the Mako around the perimeter of the mesa, hoping to determine the nature of the trap before it was sprung. They hadn't gotten very far before the very ground they were driving on shook viciously. Shepard slammed her foot down on the accelerator and yelled, "Shit! Thresher nest!" She promptly drove the Mako up the side of the hill to her left, trying to get clear of the mesa bottom. Not two seconds later, a huge thresher maw rose quickly from the sand where the Mako had been sitting mere moments before, looming over the vehicle and turning to face them as they attempted retreat.

Shepard quickly realized they were not going to climb the mesa wall fast enough to effectively dodge an attack and yanked the wheel to drop the Mako back to the Mesa floor. She hit the boosters for just a moment to separate them from the wall and put them in a freefall, taking them to the bottom faster than what the Mako could do driving down the slope. Just as she did so, the maw let loose a gob of acid spit, which hit harmlessly on the cliff wall they just vacated. The minute the Mako hit the mesa floor, Ashley gave a whoop and started strafing the maw with the machine gun, while Garrus complained about too much motion to lock on with the cannon. Shepard slammed the accelerator to the floor and grunted a response, "Yup. You got it... I'll stop as soon as I know we have enough distance to not get killed!"

The Mako screamed across the sand and Ashley shouted out, "it's diving!" Shepard immediately slammed on the brakes and cranked the wheel, skidding hard to the right, and then slammed the accelerator once again to the floor, the Mako jumping off ninety degrees from the direction they were previously heading. After a relatively short sprint, she cranked the wheel again to the right, again changing their direction, just as the maw popped up a second time, somewhat behind them, having miscalculated where the Mako was going to be. Shepard turned the wheel slightly, to put the Mako sideways to the maw, shouting, "Be ready, Vakarian! The minute that thing spits, I'm slamming on the brakes and you damn well better be ready to paste that maw!"

Garrus had immediately figured out what the commander was doing and had already started swinging the big gun around to get ready and shouted his response. "I'm on it, Shepard!"

As soon as the acid was launched and Shepard knew the Mako was clear, she jammed the brakes and skidded to a stop. The big 'whoompf' of the main cannon was music to her ears. The maw spit again and Shepard quickly backed the Mako out of the acid's path and stopped again for Garrus and Ashley to continue their bombardment. After a third shot, the maw figured out it had lost the advantage and dived once again under the sand. Shepard quickly launched the Mako on another erratic drive route and set them up to start the process over again. After a third repeat of the cycle, the maw crashed dead to the sand, and after a slow circle around the beast to ensure the maw wasn't going to recover and rise again, Shepard pulled the Mako to a stop between the Grizzly and the transmitting beacon.

The team dismounted and Shepard and Ashley moved amongst the bodies, collecting all the dog tags of the dead, while Garrus moved to check out and disable the beacon. It wasn't long before Garrus was on the comm, "I know I'm not in the Alliance, but this doesn't look like one of yours, Shepard."

The commander scowled, signaling at the Chief to keep collecting tags while she checked out the beacon. After a brief inspection, she growled, "You're right. See what kind of identifying information you can get off it. ID plate, insignias, model and serial numbers, anything. We'll send it all back to the Admiral to see if he can get a bead on it."

It was a somber team that returned to the Normandy, the only satisfaction coming from the souvenir scales each of them had ripped off the carcass of the dead maw. Shepard threw hers to Wrex, grunting as she did so, "Thought you'd appreciate this."

Wrex flipped the scale over in his hands before he growled back at her, "Not my kill, Shepard."

Shepard shrugged, "Not mine either. All I did was drive the Mako." Wrex chuckled, walked over to a large box, and dropped the scale in with the rest of the stuff headed to Admiral Kohoku.

 


	5. Dr T'Soni, I presume

As soon as the ground team was back on board, Joker pointed the nose at Artemis Tau cluster, Knossos system. Destination Therum. Shepard returned to her cabin and started reading through all the information she had on the next mission. _Ok, Therum, what do we know..._ Mining colony, heavy metals, a Prothean ruin...which must have significant data to attract the daughter of a Matriarch. Ah well. Not much really there about it. So how about our mystery archaeologist? Daughter of a Matriarch, born 2077 _... hmm, 106...young by Asari standards..._ and raised on Thessia, graduate of University of Serrice, dual Doctorate in History and Archaeology. _Wow, real academic...dived right into archaeological digs, no university playtime for her..._ Written a dozen papers on various Prothean topics... _nothing on the Conduit, but a couple on the Prothean extinction? Those might be worth a read... or at least a skim..._ The two papers that caught Sam's eye were 'Vanishing Protheans: A Single Event Within the Galactic Archaeological Cycles of Extinction' and 'Theorem on Prothean Extinction Through Resolution of the Fermi Paradox via Exclusionary Evidence.' The executive summary of the second paper really caught Sam's attention... it basically stated that by ruling out all the routinely proposed causes of the Prothean extinction through logic reasoning, only one solution remained... that the Protheans were driven to extinction and had all traces of them systematically erased by a race of sentient machines. _Sentient machines? Is there a connection between the Geth and the Reapers that Saren is exploiting? Are the Reapers a 'who' or a 'what'? Ugh._ Shepard realized she still had a pretty good headache, unsure if it was still lingering from her supposed minor concussion, or if it was because she was crazy enough to actually read those Prothean treatises...either way, she was done for the night. As she drifted off to sleep, she was thinking it was time to find this Dr T'Soni.

The commander watched a battle, the immensity of the enemy made her totally impotent to influence its outcome. Huge ships that looked like giant black squids filled the air and created havoc and mass destruction, fire, and pain. A huge red eye turned hungrily toward her, and something that resembled a plasma blast worked its way toward her, annihilating everything in its path. Shepard seemed unable to move, and with a final swing the beam was upon her, searing the flesh from her body. Screaming in agony, Samantha threw herself to the side in an attempt to escape, and found herself on the floor of her room next to her bed. _Freaking nightmare! Ever since that damnable Prothean beacon I can't close my eyes for two seconds without seeing that shit!_ With pain pinching her eyes, Shepard rubbed her temples, knowing full well there would be no more sleep that night. With a sigh of resignation, she got up and took a shower, eventually turning to the mountain of paperwork sitting on her desk; she stayed there, working, until dawn.

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 _Geth outside the Veil! By the Goddess! Focus, Liara, focus!_ She leapt over one last barrier and ducked around a corner, kneeling down trying to catch her breath. Liara was used to fending off the occasional mercenary or pirate group, but never in her 50 years of research had she ever come across Geth!   Worse part of the whole deal was this dig site had only one entry that she knew of, so there was no getting around them; that didn't leave her many options. She felt her best chance was to hide, and hope they got tired of the chase and left. It would have to be soon... she left her pack and her pistol back at the main chamber, which left her with no supplies...no water, no energy bars, no weapon. _stupid stupid stupid!_ And now, she was starting to get tired...no way to replenish the energy she had used up with her biotics and she couldn't hide long down here in this heat with no water. Dehydration would be a big problem fast. A sudden thought gave her hope. _Maybe if I can reach the Prothean barrier curtain? No way they'd get past that, and maybe they'll give up and leave?_ The chase had caused her to lose track of exactly where she was, and she couldn't take time to figure it out... she could hear her pursuers closing what little bit of buffer distance she had. Using what seemed to be close to the last of her reserves, she bolted out of her cover and dashed up the tunnel in what she hoped was the right direction...

An unknown voice roared, "Getting tired of chasing you, Doctor! I'm not known for patience!"

 _That is NOT a Geth!_ Liara chanced a glance back over her shoulder as she rounded a corner. _Goddess! A Battlemaster? Can this day get any worse?_ She involuntarily ducked as a shotgun blast chipped off the rocks right above her head, urging her to put on a little bit more speed. Her target came into view and she skidded into a cell, not even slowing down until she grabbed a control panel to stop herself. _Goddess! I forgot about the central elevator... if I can get the barrier up, I can use the elevator to get to the surface! Assuming of course I live that long and can figure out the controls!_ Pulling up the holographic interface, she started keying in the sequence to initiate the barrier. Just then, the Krogan Battlemaster rounded the corner and bellowed, releasing another shot from his shotgun. Again, Liara ducked, inadvertently dragging her hand through the panel's holographic control interface as she did so, making the panel flash red... _Oh,_ _Goddess, what did I just do?_ At first, she was relieved as the wonderful barrier shimmered into position, effectively blocking out the Krogan and his Geth followers...but her temporary relief vanished in the next instant, as she felt herself abruptly lifted from the floor and suspended mid air, fixed in position with all her limbs outstretched. The Krogan lifted his shotgun, pointed it at her head, and fired. Liara winced, and then relaxed as the barrier absorbed the blow without even a flicker.

The Battlemaster roared in frustration. "You worthless pyjak! I will find a way in there, and when I do, you will regret the day you were born!"

Liara had great faith in the Prothean barrier, but now had to face the reality of being trapped in some form of Prothean security device, with no food, no water, and in a ruin that was located next to a mostly dormant volcano. She was very concerned, not about a potential eruption, but because of the elevated temperatures from the nearby lava flows...she knew she would die from dehydration and the heat stress long before the volcano was due to erupt again. _My mother always did say my curiosity would be the death of me..._ Liara was suddenly very much aware she would probably die here, without ever leaving this cell... Fatigue and thirst finally got the best of her, and Liara floated in and out of consciousness. Every time she woke, she was aware of the Geth banging, shooting, digging...they were being very persistent. Maybe she needed to worry about them finding a way in after all...she lost all track of time and the day _days?_ stretched seemingly into eternity.

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Shepard hated dark tunnels. Poorly lit mines were no exception. Coming in from the daylight, highlighted with the light at your back made you a perfect target, and your eyes couldn't adjust fast enough to the darkness to see crap down the tunnel. _They can see me, but I can't see them. Sucks!_ This one was particularly bad. It was a dig site entrance, not even a working entrance, so the lighting was extra poor...lovely. Plus it was just for people, not heavy equipment, so it was narrow, not a lot of room to maneuver. Wrex had to be feeling positively claustrophobic! They continued to work their way down the ramp, when Shepard saw flashes from below.

"Incoming!" Shepard and Wrex both threw up their barriers simultaneously, and even with the double barrier, she was tossed backward when multiple rockets struck the barrier all at the same time. She grunted in pain when she landed on her previously dislocated shoulder, and it was none too happy to be receiving new abuse. Not hesitating, she sprang back to her feet while Wrex charged off down the ramp, leaving Garrus and her trailing behind. Wrex's shotgun blast lit up the tunnel and Shepard immediately launched a singularity at the rocket launchers lit up by the blast. The Geth fired off one more round before the singularity reached them, and Shepard leaned hard into her barrier...this time she was ready, so was not thrown back with the impact. As soon as the rockets detonated against the barrier, she threw a warp field up and the singularity exploded, tossing the Geth rocket troops aside and clearing the path forward. They were far enough into the tunnel now that the backlighting was no longer an issue, and they worked their way methodically down into the dig site. Garrus' sniper rifle easily took down standard troopers, and Wrex and Shepard took turns on singularities and warps, accompanied by the occasional charge and shotgun blast, to eliminate the slightly larger threats.

They finally emerged into a small chamber, and it seemed like the end of the line until Garrus pointed out an elevator back in a dark corner. It seemed to be the only viable option, so they hesitantly climbed in and hit the button... the elevator groaned and started downward, sounding like it had definitely seen better days. It was still a couple meters off the deck when it ground to a stop. _So much for that, guess we have to find another way back to the surface!_ Wrex booted the gate open and they jumped down the last bit, onto the floor of a relatively large cavern. They worked their way around the corner on the ramp, and encountered a few more Geth, which they quickly dispatched.

Liara heard the elevator and instantly feared the Battlemaster was returning, though she hadn't seen him in she didn't know how long; she had assumed they had given up and left. Then she heard gunfire and shouting...definitely not Geth, and definitely not the Krogan. When it got quiet again, realizing she had nothing to lose at this point, she took a chance at trying to contact them. "H-hello? Can you hear me out there? I... I'm trapped... please... I need help!"

Three figures walked around the corner to where she could just barely see them through the barrier. _Goddess, it is the Krogan! No, a Krogan, but different. With... a human?_ Liara had little experience with humans, so tried to get a look at the one approaching. Based on the armor, it was a female, but Liara had no frame of reference for size; she couldn't exactly compare her to the Krogan standing next to her...he would make anyone look small. The armor was a mix of gloss black and a flat charcoal gray, with a red stripe that ran down the right sleeve and hip. The weapons array looked rather impressive, giving the woman an overall quite formidable appearance. She had on a full helmet, and the lighting in the room was such that Liara could not see her face through the faceplate.

"Well...howdy... you seem to have yourself in quite the predicament there. Dr T'Soni, I presume?" The woman spoke with authority and her voice had a deep resonance to it that somehow instilled confidence, merely by its tone.

"Um. Well...Yes. I am Liara T'Soni... How do you...uh...know...?" Liara stammered and fell silent, curious but not wanting to challenge or offend the speaker.

The Commander cocked her head, contemplating, then decided to try something and continued, rather bluntly. "I'm Commander Shepard, Alliance Navy, and Council Spectre. Your mother is wanted by the Council for treason, for working with rogue Spectre Saren Arterius and a Geth army, to attack the human colony of Eden Prime. Are you working with them?"

Liara was obviously startled. _Surprised we know, or just surprised?_ "I am NOT my mother, and I have no idea what you are talking about. My mother... she never truly approved of my chosen profession, and we haven't seen one another in decades. We are somewhat estranged." From her forlorn tone, it was apparent to Sam that the Doctor was distressed... it hurt her to talk about this, and while remorseful for having been so direct with her questioning, it told Samantha what she needed to know. _OK, so Dr T'Soni is unaware of her mother's business dealings with Saren. Don't know if that's good or bad, could have used some intel..._

"Hey, OK, I'm sorry for treading on what must be a sensitive subject... how'd you get yourself into your current predicament, anyway."

The commander's voice sounded truly remorseful, and it encouraged the Asari to answer truthfully, hoping for assistance. "Oh Goddess, I was attacked by Geth... they have a Krogan Battlemaster with them! I ran in here to activate the barrier and the Krogan shot at me... I hit something wrong on the panel when I ducked... and well, you see the result. I cannot move....please, you must help me get out of here!"

The commander crossed her arms across her chest as she spoke, "You're pretty trusting, Doc. I'm a Spectre who basically just accused you of treason by working for or with your mother and Saren. How do you know I'm not here to execute you?"

Liara blinked. _Would she... no, if she was here to kill me she wouldn't be wasting all this time talking..._ "I am trapped, but I am not an idiot, Commander. You are Alliance. You killed those synthetics, but have yet to try to kill me. That means you are either here to rescue me or arrest me... either is preferable to this."

Samantha chuckled. "Good call, Dr T'Soni. At least you're keeping your wits about you. So any suggestions on how to get you out of there?" She dropped her arms to her sides and looked around, trying to get a full grasp on the situation.

 _She's laughing? I fail to see the humor in this situation!_ "The control panel is on the stand behind me. I'm just not sure how you are going to get to it. You have to find some way around this barrier. The Geth have made multiple attempts and have not succeeded yet. The barrier is resistant to weapons and biotics. I don't know what to tell you." The Asari sounded very sad and very tired, her voice cracking, and Shepard was starting to feel a little bit of urgency in the situation.

"OK. Piece of cake. Get around the barrier, play with the control panel, turn everything off, we all go home. No sweat. Oh, and maybe dodge a few Geth on the way out. And we have our own Krogan Battlemaster here, so that's no skin off my nose. Hang tight, Liara, we'll be back soon"

_Hang tight? Was this human humor? Making jokes at her inability move? Goddess, I know nothing of humans!_

Before Liara could respond, Commander Shepard and her crew dropped out of sight, and Liara suddenly felt inexplicably lonely. Shepard, Wrex and Garrus took a look around the cavern they were in. It was multi-level, and there seemed to be a large open central column behind the Doc. They just needed to figure out how to get to the other side, other than through the barrier. That's when Wrex saw the really big mining laser. "Hey, Shepard! Look at what we have here! Why don't I just blast a hole through the wall? We don't need to go through the barrier... we'll just tunnel straight through the rock!"

Shepard laughed gleefully. "Oh, Wrex, I knew I liked you for some reason! A fellow warrior who likes really big guns! Go for it, my man!" A brief rumble later, and Shepard was standing behind Liara at the barrier control panel, punched a couple of buttons and the barrier and biotic field both collapsed, dropping Dr Liara T'Soni unceremoniously to the ground with a yelp of surprise and pain. _For the love of God, Shepard, a little warning next time maybe?_ Shepard ran over to her, apologetic. "Shit! I'm sorry about that, Doc. Should've warned you." Samantha put a hand on her shoulder to help her sit up. "Wow, you're hot... you feel OK? How long have you been in there? Never mind... it's not important. Have some water." Shepard handed her a canteen and Liara started chugging. "Whoa, slow down there... you'll send your system into shock! Slow and easy, Doc, let your system adjust...you'll be alright now, we got ya covered..."

Liara took time out to breath and threw a question out before she resumed drinking. "Commander, how did you get back here, and how did you turn off the barrier so quickly?"

"Well, Wrex here just used the mining laser to tunnel through, and then we climbed up the back side to access this level. As for turning the barrier off, well, the buttons are pretty obvious, don't you think?" Liara looked very confused, but there was no time for questions, as the ground suddenly rumbled and rocks started pelting down from the ceiling.

Liara looked panicked and she blurted out, "The mining laser must have triggered seismic activity, these tunnels are very unstable! We have to get out of here! Now! The elevator behind us links up to the walkway leading outdoors!"

"Alright people, you heard the lady, time to move out!" They ran to the elevator and Liara started its motion upward. Samantha removed her helmet and handed it to Liara, telling her to put it on.

"But Commander, I don't have a hard suit... no seals, no point..." Her voice trailed off as she looked at the commander and noticed her shoulder length auburn hair, now flowing freely without the helmet covering it. Liara blushed and looked at the floor, realizing she had an almost overwhelming desire to reach out and run her fingers through it, for no other reason than to see what it felt like against her fingers.

"Just do it T'Soni! You're too drained to generate a decent biotic barrier, and I don't want to have to carry you out of here when you get whacked on the head with a rock. Besides, the filtration system will help you breathe a little easier. You're still panting from the heat. Need I say more?" Liara just shook her head and put the helmet on, silenced more by her own shame than the commander's logic. By the time the elevator reached the top, the ground was seriously shaking and the metal walkways were bucking, making running difficult. "Run!" Shepard yelled, shoving Liara in front of her after Wrex and Garrus. "Joker, lock on my signal and get here ASAP! We've got a fucking volcano chasing us!" Shepard did not wait for a reply, and starting running for her life. She caught up very quickly to Liara, who stumbled along, her exhaustion and dehydration obvious. Once Shepard saw daylight, she called up her biotics, scooped up Liara, and charged up the ramp in a flash of blue power... right into a Krogan Battlemaster who was NOT Wrex.

"Thanks for delivering my worthless pyjak bounty, human. Saves me a bunch of trouble."

"Oh hell, no. I'm not outrunning a volcano just to hand over my prize, Mr Ugly. She's mine and I plan on keeping her." Shepard shoved Liara down behind a rock shelf for cover and pulled her shotgun. Wrex came rocketing out of the tunnel, throwing a warp as he came. The 'other' Krogan deflected the warp, but it took his focus off of Shepard long enough for her to regenerate her barrier and get off the first shot. It weakened the Krogan's barrier, but did not drop it, and he retaliated with a warp thrown at Shepard. The Krogan was way too close, and the warp hit her like a steam train. She felt her barrier drop and she flew backward into the cliff face. Her already strained shoulder couldn't take anymore and she felt it pop as she hit the ground. She screamed in pain and rage, and rolled back to her feet as Wrex dropped the Krogan's barrier with a shotgun blast, then Garrus put a sniper shot into the center of his chest, but the big Krogan still didn't go down. Shepard grimaced, lowered her dislocated shoulder and biotically charged the Krogan, smashing into him and knocking him over the edge into the abyss.

Tears of pain streaming down her face, Shepard stood up as the Normandy hovered off the edge of the cliff. Garrus jumped on board and Wrex had just half-tossed T'Soni up onto the loading ramp when an explosion rocked the hillside and part of the cliff gave way. Wrex jumped to the Normandy and Shepard took a running leap... and fell short. Time slowed down. Shepard looked down and saw molten lava streaming from the hillside... _Guess I didn't outrun that volcano after all._ Suddenly, she was surrounded by blue biotics and she felt a tremendous pull that yanked her into the back of the Normandy docking bay, smashing painfully into Dr T'Soni. Shepard saw tendrils of blue power fading from Liara's hand as they crashed to the deck. Their eyes met briefly, and Samantha would have sworn she saw the start of a smile on Liara's face before the good doctor passed out and her eyes closed. Shepard rolled over, and sat up, yelling at Joker to get them into orbit, away from this damnable volcano.

She managed to get to her feet in time to see Dr Chakwas give her the old standby British glare before Karin knelt down to look at Dr T'Soni. "Wrex, can you please carry Dr T'Soni to the clinic." She then stood and turned a withering glance on Samantha. "And you, Commander Shepard, will follow me directly to sick bay, or you won't see duty for a week... if you're lucky." Sam started to smile and make some witty comeback, but her smile died on her lips when she saw Dr Chakwas' expression. "And for every bit of lip I get from you, I will add an extra day to that bed rest order. I don't care if you sit for a month, Commander. I will not repair that shoulder for a third time. My office. Now." Karin turned sharply and stalked to the elevator without a backward glance. Of course, Samantha Shepard stepped smartly behind, knowing full well she had used up this month's full ration of the Doctor's good will.

Shepard grunted in pain as she popped up onto her least favorite spot in the med bay...an exam table. She watched keenly, noting the seemingly pale face of the Asari under Karin's tender care, as the doctor gently removed her helmet from Dr T'Soni and set it to the side. Dr Chakwas administered a general anesthetic, and after a cursory scan and gentle undressing, she started an IV drip and then tended to the multiple cuts and contusions that littered the battered looking Asari. When she finished everything she could do at this moment to help Liara, she laid a light sheet over the Asari and turned with a glare for the commander. She suddenly realized the commander was being unusually contrite _and quiet_ , the fatigue and pain showing clearly on her face. Interestingly enough, the Commander wasn't focused on her at all; Shepard's face was pinched with concern for the Asari now sleeping somewhat restfully on the exam table next to her. Karin's gaze softened a bit, understanding her unique relationship with the commander allowed her to see a side of Shepard those under her command would never be privy too. She sighed in sympathy and drew the Commander's attention with "Now, Commander, let's see to that shoulder, shall we?"

"Yeah...uh...sorry, Doc. I know you're pissed, but there was this big Krogan...oh, never mind. Just give me my 40 lashes and be done with it... and tell me Dr T'Soni's going to be all right?"

"She'll be fine, Commander. No major injuries, just extreme dehydration and heat exhaustion. I administered a general so she'll rest easy while I get some fluids back into her. She should wake up hungry in a few hours, but that's about it. Your level of concern for others is quite admirable, Commander, but it does drive you to extremes sometimes..." Karin was actually a very efficient trauma doctor, and had Shepard's shoulder back together in no time, gently shooing her out of the med bay so Liara could have some quiet. "Three days light duty, Commander. No argument. We need that shoulder healed before you go out again." _And maybe I'll actually get these medical records caught up without the commander adding anything else to her file!_

"Thanks, Karin. I'll be back in a bit to check up on T'Soni... couple hours. See ya then!" Shepard flashed her tell tale charming grin, grabbed her helmet, and ducked out of the med bay before Chakwas could issue any type of retort.


	6. Collecting Information--With Interest

Shepard made the rounds, checking up on all her ground team and making sure they were all settling in OK. When she got down to the armory, she was confronted by Ashley. "Hey, Shepard, can we talk?" Samantha had been waiting for the Elysium questions, and the 'how do you deal with everyone around you dying' questions, so the request didn't really surprise her. However, when Ashley spoke again, she was caught off guard, because it was not anything she expected. "I'm concerned about all the aliens... you know... having free rein on the Alliance's most technologically advance ship in the fleet. I mean, are we a ship or an Ark? We've got a Krogan, a Turian, a Quarian... and now an Asari with connections to a known traitor? It's just too much!"

Anger flashed across Shepard's face before she schooled her expression. "What the hell, Ash? You a xenophobe? Member of 'Earth First'?" Before Ashley could answer, Shepard continued. "Don't answer that, I don't care what your personal affiliations are, you have the right to believe what you will, but keep 'em personal. They're aliens, not animals! That attitude won't cut it on the Normandy...not as long as I'm in command, anyway. First off, this is a joint Turian-Alliance vessel; they helped build the damn thing. What the hell are they going to gain by sending a spy along with us? Wrex could give a crap about the Normandy... I don't think he's been anywhere but the shuttle bay and the mess hall... all he wants is a ride to the next worthy rumble. Hell, Tali gave us the evidence that got us here in the first place, and you, of all people, should not be judging Dr T'Soni because of someone she is related too!" At that statement, Ashley looked shocked. "Oh, don't give me that look, Ash, it's not like this is my first command! Yes, I know all about your grandfather, and him being the only Alliance commander to surrender during the First Contact War...what, you think I wouldn't check up on the history of every single member of my crew?"

Ashley was dumbfounded. "So you know about my Granddad and you're not trying to transfer me back groundside?"

"Hell no! You're a great soldier, Ash, and I refuse to judge you by your Grandfather's actions. Even if I did, you'd still be here because I agreed with his call. And, I don't give a fuck if some senior leader took it upon himself to personally see you never got anything but junk assignments because of it; you've earned your place here. But on the flipside, I expect you to give every other crew member on board this vessel, including Dr T'Soni, the same courtesy. Am I understood?"

Ashley was silent for a moment. "Yes ma'am...I...I guess I didn't think about it that way." She looked down at the floor for a second before squaring her shoulders and looking back up at the commander. "Permission to return to my duties?"

"Granted. And Ash, a piece of career advice. You're a Chief--start thinking that way." Shepard turned and headed back upstairs toward the med bay to check in with the Doc. _Un-freaking-believable!_

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The door to the med bay swooshed open and the commander stepped quietly inside, her eyes immediately drawn to the peacefully resting patient. That simple act somehow soothed any anger she felt at Ashley, even though the two events were totally unrelated. Karin had the lights low, and the shades were drawn to eliminate any distractions from the mess hall, probably with the intent of giving the sleeping patient some semblance of privacy. Now that Samantha had a moment to take in the full measure of the Asari who was Dr Liara T'Soni, without barriers, falling rocks or angry Krogan between them, it dawned on her consciousness that Liara was very pleasant looking. _I could get used to looking at that, real easy on the eyes._ Shepard was puzzled by what she felt when in her presence... relaxed? No, more than that... what she felt was contentment. Samantha couldn't remember the last time she felt...well, just plain contented. _Odd...I don't even know her. How can I really feel anything towards her other than curiosity?_ Karin noted the expression on the commander's face with a mixture of amusement and perplexity. What was the commander thinking? The closest word Karin could come up with was....awe? "Commander?"

Shepard was jolted back to awareness. "Oh, yeah... um, sorry, Doc. How's she doing?"

Karin spoke quietly, "As you can see, still resting peacefully. She could be waking up any time now; the drugs are out of her system, so she's in natural sleep at this point. She must have been exhausted. Who knows how long those Geth had been chasing her around those tunnels down there... and that heat had to be wearing.... Commander, are you alright?"

Shepard shrugged, "Yeah, thanks, Karin. I'm just a bit... confused. Got a minute to just...talk?"

"But, of course, Commander. Whatever you need. Unless we're in the middle of a triage, I always have time for you, you know that." Karin waved her hand, indicating for Shepard to take a seat in the second chair near her desk.

Shepard pursed her lips for a moment before starting to speak, "I'm puzzled by this one. When I think history and archeology, I think of little old men with papers piled around them, timid and bookish. Not a young Asari who's a biotic dynamo."

Karin chuckled. "Biotic dynamo...? Really, Commander. A bit fanciful, wouldn't you say?"

"Not so much as you might think, Karin. You have no idea how close I came to dying today...it was humbling. As the Normandy came in, that stupid volcano exploded, and the cliff bank started giving away. Wrex jumped and made it, but with my shoulder, I couldn't get up enough steam, and well, when I jumped...I, um... I fell short." Karin's eyes got wide, but she said nothing as Samantha continued. "All I saw below me was molten lava... I was done...as in bit the dust, pushin' up daisies, bought the farm, done. All of a sudden, I'm sheathed in blue. I was in full armor! It must have taken one hell of a biotic pull to stop my decent and yank me back to the ship. I was sure it was Wrex pulling my ass, literally, out of the fire. But when I came crashing into the Normandy, I crashed into Liara...and I saw the whispers of blue fading from her fingertips. We made eye contact for just the briefest of moments, and I'd swear she smiled at me before she passed out. It was...simply...amazing. I don't have any other word for it. She saved my life today, Karin. There's no doubt in my mind."

Karin's face reflected disbelief as she spoke. "You're telling me a dehydrated, exhausted Asari, on the brink of fainting, biotically grabbed you, and yanked you aboard the Normandy? That's...I don't even have a word for what that is! Perhaps 'biotic dynamo' is the only expression that fits, after all!"

"And it doesn't end there. She's damn smart too. Definitely an academic. I read some of her papers. She has some pretty impressive theories I'll need to talk to her about, eventually. But yeah, quite the package. Intelligent, strong, and beautiful to boot." Shepard grinned and laughed. "Could be trouble!"

Karin let out a quiet laugh and smiled as she spoke, "Oh, my dear... with the expression I saw on your face, I think trouble is the least of your worries!"

\-------------------------------

Liara was awake, though she had yet to open her eyes. She was waiting, in silence, for some confirmation as to where she was, other than on a table. She remembered being tossed onto a ship's loading platform, and reaching out to snatch Commander Shepard from the promise of a very unpleasant death. The commander had rescued her from the Prothean security device; that debt was now repaid. So, was she now in a holding cell? Was she incarcerated? She didn't feel the commander would do such a thing, but she was uncertain, not really having anything more than intuition to base that conclusion on. So, here she was, with a throbbing headache, eyes closed, just breathing evenly, almost in a meditative type trance, when the door opened and someone came in. She did not feel ready to speak to anyone yet, so maintained her breathing meditations. The silence was finally broken by a pleasant voice she didn't recognize... _Oh! The commander entered, and the speaker, 'Doc', is probably a medical professional, so I am most likely in the med bay!_

Liara thought back to her first view of the human. Small in comparison to the Turian and Krogan she was standing in front of, but somehow her very stance gave the impression of size and commanded... respect. _And that hair! Goddess, that hair..._ Initially, she had been brutally straight forward, but then seemingly chagrinned by Liara's reaction. Next thing Liara knew, the commander was laughing at her. Very perplexing! _I don't know much about humans. Are they always so quick to shift moods?_ Of course, she shouldn't judge. From the moment the commander walked up, Liara went rapidly from surprise, to anger, to chagrin, and then to what... frustration? The final emotion was closer to abandonment, with an unexplained feeling of loneliness bordering on longing after seeing Shepard drop out of sight off the ramp. _Goddess, what were my emotions doing? Surely it was a result of exhaustion?_ Her ruminations snapped back to the present when the commander started speaking again. Had Liara's eyes been open, they would have rolled. _Biotic dynamo? Really?_ She agreed with the Doctor's assessment of that statement. She was by no means a fully trained commando. Obviously, Shepard has not worked with many Asari, if her judgment is so lacking. _Wait! What? She's read my papers? I may need to reevaluate... Oh, Goddess, she thinks I'm beautiful?_ At this point, Liara was finding it very difficult to maintain her breathing exercise. To make things worse, she then heard quiet footfalls approaching her bed... and the shuffle of a chair being pulled over. _Goddess, she's sitting down right next to me! I can't pretend to be asleep forever! Ok, think... the movement of the chair wakes me! Yes, that's it!_

Liara slowly opened her eyes and really saw Commander Shepard clearly for the very first time. Shepard's pale green eyes were concentrated on her face and their eyes met almost as soon as Liara's opened. Liara's breath hitched, feeling like the commander peered directly into her soul. _Her eyes are so intense! How did I not notice that before?_

Shepard interpreted the hitch as surprise and spoke very softly. "Sorry, Dr T'Soni, didn't mean to startle you. Just checking in to see how you're doing," finding herself needing to resist the urge to reach over and caress the Asari's smooth blue cheek. _Egads, woman, you've got it bad!_

Hearing Shepard speak to her patient, Karin realized Liara was awake and walked over, shooing the commander out of the way. "Dr T'Soni. I'm Dr Karin Chakwas, and seeing as you are awake, I would like to assess your condition... Commander, if you don't mind?"

Shepard rose reluctantly and stepped out of the way. "Oh, sure, Doc. I'm out! I guess I'll go grab some chow. Be back soon!"

Karin took the chair Shepard vacated, and looked to the Asari. "So Doctor T'Soni. Do you feel well enough to sit up?"

Liara sat up slowly, letting the sheet drop, and Karin immediately went to one of the cabinets and got a hospital gown. She helped Liara slide it on and tied it in the back for her, explaining that Humans are not so...relaxed...about nudity as the Asari. Liara murmured a quiet thank you and got herself situated best she was able.

Once Liara was settled and appeared to be fine, Karin continued her evaluation, "Ok, Doctor. Spill it. How do you feel, really?"

"Spill it? I am sorry, Dr Chakwas, but I am very unfamiliar with most of your human...idioms... so to say, and translators are completely worthless in that respect. As I have nothing to 'spill' I assume there is some other meaning to that phrase."

Dr Chakwas laughed. "So sorry my girl, habits, but I understand your confusion. What that means, spill it, or spill the beans, is to tell your story, to give up the truth, whether you want to or not."

Liara hesitated and then decided to be straight forward. "So this is a form of interrogation?"

Karin was shocked, and quickly spoke to ease the young maiden, "Oh, no!   Nothing so...confrontational. You are not some prisoner that needs to be questioned. It's more of a request among friends to share some secret. Nothing threatening, I assure you. I'm just curious as to how you truly feel. I guess I'm too used to Shepard, who always understates her level of discomfort and injury."

Liara's expression showed nothing if not confusion. "Among friends? But you do not know me...I'm sorry, I am not used to such...how shall I say...informality... from someone I have just met. I do not mean to offend. From one professional to another, I think I would like to be...friends... if that is possible? I think I may need one. And I do not see any purpose in 'understating' my physical condition. It would seem to complicate your treatment plan, should I choose to do so." She furrowed her brow, trying hard to understand her situation.

"Oh my dear, I find your lack of experience with humans charming. You have a lot to learn, and I'm sure we can be friends. I believe you will find me much more accepting and a much more gentle teacher than some of the uncouth persons on this vessel. But, you have not yet answered my question. How do you feel?" Karin raised her brows expectantly, waiting on an answer.

Liara blushed and then laughed. "Of course, how silly of me. You are the ship's doctor, aren't you? I feel physically sound, except for a headache, which I attribute to hunger. But I also feel disgustingly filthy and sweaty, and I find myself aching for a shower above all else." She grimaced as she continued. "Unfortunately, I also find myself a pauper, with none of my gear or equipment, as I... we... um, had to abandon all of my possessions in our haste to depart Therum."

"Both of those are an easy fix, Liara. You are a pretty average size, and if you don't mind wearing Alliance issue, I can get you a couple sets of clean clothes out of supply, very easily, I'm sure. We've also set a room aside for you, with a cot and an extranet terminal for your personal use. You can use the shower right here in the med bay until you get more comfortable with the crew--it will provide you with much more privacy than those on the crew deck."

The med bay door slid open and Shepard strolled back into the med bay with a tray. "Ok, we've got an energy drink for fast action, and then a plate of spaghetti and a piece of garlic bread for the carbo-load for long term. Hope you like human food, because it's either that or dextro, and I'm sure you know better than to go there!" She held the tray out to Liara, who just sat there, staring at the commander in amazement.

Shepard faltered a bit....quite unsure as to what to do when Liara did not immediately take the tray. "Um... not hungry?" She glances back and forth between Liara and Karin. "Did I interrupt something? If so, I can just...uh... leave this for you? Somewhere?"

Karin couldn't help but burst out laughing at Shepard's very uncharacteristic discomfort, and the laughter broke Liara's apparent paralysis.   "Oh! No, Commander. I'm sorry! I just... I don't... Oh Goddess, I have turned into a babbling idiot! I just did not expect you to come back in serving me dinner. I am just surprised, that is all. Thank you, very much! I am famished!" She reached out, smiling shyly, and took the tray from Shepard, who inadvertently released a deep sigh of relief.

Karin got up out of the chair and offered it to Shepard. "I am going to get some tea and some dinner, and then scrounge up some clothes for Liara. Shepard... Sit and give her company while she eats. Besides, I'm sure you two have lots to discuss!" Samantha's jaw dropped open, with a look of almost horror on her face at Karin's obvious betrayal. Karin laughed, reached over with a single finger under her chin and pushed her mouth closed. "Focus, Commander. Protheans, papers, Saren, conduit?" Then she turned and slid out the door without another word.

"Wow, ok. So, that was awkward. I guess we've got nowhere to go but up, right? To start, you eat, I'll talk." Shepard filled Liara in on everything that had happened, starting with Eden Prime through their arrival at Therum, minus one very personal event. She did not mention the continuing nightmares she was suffering as a result of the beacon. She had yet to share that with anyone...they knew about the initial dream she experienced during her 'coma,' but that was all. She did, however, mention her research on Liara prior to the mission. "I don't want you caught by surprise, so I'll tell you I have a tendency to be very thorough on mission prep if I have the time. That said, I had a whole night prior to our arrival on Therum, so I read your dossier, including two of your papers regarding the Prothean extinction. I don't want to go into detail right now, because we've actually been waiting on you to recover a bit so we can do the mission debrief, and I hate repeating myself. If you're up to it, I'll schedule it for 30 minutes from now to give everyone time to get ready."

"That should be fine, Commander. I just need to shower and change, and I will be prepared."

"Great, I'll send someone to collect you when the time comes." Shepard caught the crestfallen look on the Asari's face and correctly surmised the cause. She smiled and said, "not because I don't trust you, Liara, because I do; at this point with my life, literally. Because it's a new ship and you have no idea where you're going. Shoot, I haven't even let you find the mess hall yet!" Liara's face lit up with the explanation, and Shepard was thanked with a beautiful radiant smile from Dr Liara T'Soni that absolutely warmed her heart.

\-------------------------------

The commander stopped by her room to pick up a couple of datapads, and then walked immediately to the comm room. It gave her some time to collect her thoughts and get ready for the debrief. First in was Ashley, who Shepard promptly sent back out to go collect the good Dr T'Soni. She chuckled at the fact it was Ashley. Though purely luck of the draw, she was sure that Ashley would think she was being tested, and she felt no driving need to dispel that misconception. Once everyone was in the room and seated, Shepard started. "Sorry for the delay on the debrief, but I wanted Dr T'Soni to be present, so we all just needed to be patient until she felt well enough to join us. First things first, I want to give you the short version of my conversation with the Council immediately following Therum. I won't mention names, but they were highly displeased with my total destruction of the Prothean ruins," Shepard's voice became laced with sarcasm. "...because I obviously triggered the cataclysmic event on purpose. They also insisted I turn over Dr T'Soni to C-Sec, hinting my actions were bordering on treason when I refused. At that point, we must have flown behind a planet, or through an ion cloud or something, because our call was...um...mysteriously... dropped." Most everyone got a good chuckle out of that, but the looks on Kaidan's and Liara's faces were priceless. "Oh, come ON, you two! Lighten up! Doc T'Soni yanked my ass out of a molten lava pool and saved my life. Not a snowball's chance in hell I'm turning her over to C-Sec to be grilled like a terrorist!" She flashed everyone a lopsided grin and continued on.

"So, bottom line...In all honesty, we did inadvertently destroy a significant archeological site, but we got Liara out of there safely, and though it was close, we all managed to come out alive. Now, I have added Dr T'Soni to the Normandy as a member of her crew and she will be treated as such. She has exceptional biotic talent and more Prothean expertise in her head than the rest of us combined. I'm thinking that's what Saren was after, and we stole her right from under his nose. We should be happy about that and use it to our advantage." At this point, Kaidan chimed in and asked how long Liara had been researching the Protheans, and if she knew anything about something called the Conduit.

"I have been studying the Prothean extinction for fifty years, and though the Conduit is occasionally referenced, there are no specifics regarding its nature nor its location."

Ashley blurted out, "Fifty years? Just how old are you, Doctor?"

Liara looked ashamed. "I...I am only 106 years of age, barely a young adult by Asari standards." Liara was sure her credibility was about to be called into question when Shepard stepped in.

"Listen up. For those who don't know, Asari live over a thousand years, compared to our measly 150, so 106 is actually pretty young. That, however, does not take away from Liara's 50 years in the field, and the fact that she's one of the most published researchers in the specialty. Let's stay on task here, and save the rest for dinner conversation. Liara?"

Liara blushed and stared at the floor as she spoke, "Th-thank you, Commander. I appreciate your confidence in my capabilities. I have to admit, when we first met on Therum, I didn't understand your ability to decode the barrier control panel so quickly. When I asked, you stated you thought the buttons were pretty obvious...but I know they were labeled in the Prothean language." It seemed as if merely mentioning the Protheans restored Liara's confidence and her head came back up as she finished. "Now that I am aware of your interaction with the beacon, I can only surmise that along with the images you spoke of, it also imparted a basic understanding of the Prothean language...at least in its written form."

Shepard leaned forward in her chair. "Ok, so let's talk about what I see as the link between the beacon, its images and your research. Those images are...disturbing. I can think of no better word. They show violent destruction, by large ships, which, after listening to the Geth recording that Tali provided, I assumed to be the Reapers. Your paper on the Fermi Paradox mentions extinction by sentient machines. Has anything you ever read given them a name? Do you think the Reapers may be just that... a race of sentient machines? What I'm really asking... do you think it's possible the Protheans were wiped out by a race of sentient machines called the Reapers?" As Shepard rapid-fired the questions at the Asari, Liara's face gradually took on a look of increasing astonishment.

You could have heard a pin drop, and everyone stared at the Commander like she had just materialized out of thin air. Shepard was so focused on Liara that she totally failed to notice. Dr T'Soni started to answer, and then stopped, reconsidering her response. "I..." All eyes in the room shifted to her, and she blushed furiously. "That is my primary theory; though I have never been able to put a name to the machines...Reapers would be as good a name as any... And you think the beacon is a warning buoy!" Liara's face blossomed with understanding. "That would make sense! Everything I have ever read about the Protheans indicates they were an enlightened society. If they discovered they would be unable to defeat the Reapers, it is my estimation they would attempt to leave some type of warning for younger, evolving species...if they couldn't save themselves... then..." She trailed off, suddenly in unfamiliar territory, moving past her research on the extinction itself into conjecture on what the Protheans would have done once they realized their demise was inevitable. It was something she had never thought about and her confidence waned, dramatically. She was unsure where to go from here.

Shepard picked up on her body language. There was something there, but she was either unsure of the data, or unsure of its reception by the crew. "What's on your mind, Liara?"

"All this time we thought the beacons were just data banks...storage devices specifically designed to interact with Prothean physiology. Anyone who has ever been in contact with one has always been left completely mentally incapacitated, bereft of any remaining logical mind function. For you to have received and understood all that data and still maintain higher level brain function... It is unprecedented! You...you must be remarkably strong-willed, Commander!" Liara looked at Shepard in a new light, her face awash with admiration.

Under the adoring gaze of the Asari, it was Shepard's turn to blush as she responded, "Yeah, well, just because it's there and I survived, doesn't mean it was a success. I still can't make heads or tails of it."

Liara gave a quick shake of her head, as if to clear cobwebs, and furrowed her brow, frustrated by not understanding all the Human idioms being tossed at her. "Heads or tails, Commander? I'm sorry; I do not understand what you mean."

Shepard was equally frustrated, but for a different reason. "I'm saying I have no idea what it's trying to tell me. If it's supposed to be a warning, it's not a very good one. Just because I can see them in my head doesn't mean I can understand them! To me, it's just gratuitous violence; I don't understand what they're trying to tell me!"

Liara looked pensive for a moment, and then offered up a suggestion. "Do you know much about Asari physiology, Commander? We...um...we are able to join our consciousness with other individuals, including other species. With your knowledge from the beacon, and my knowledge of the Protheans, together we may be able to sort it out."

Kaidan practically exploded out of his chair. "What? No way! Commander, you can't risk that! She just said anyone who's even managed to survive contact with a beacon became a raving lunatic! We have no idea what's going to happen if you start pushing those images around!"

Shepard glared at Alenko. "Stand down, Lieutenant! I am well aware of Asari...capabilities, but I agree there are other concerns we need to consider, so we need to talk about this as intelligent beings, not knee-jerk Neanderthals." Kaidan returned to his seat, his face dark and foreboding, not at all pleased where the conversation was heading.

"We'll table this discussion for now. Our next stop is Feros, to investigate rumors of Geth activity. Everyone get rested and prepped, and be ready when we hit port. Dismissed." Shepard remained seated as the rest of the crew filed out, her eyes unfocused as she ran the debrief over and over in her head, trying to decide what to do next.


	7. Only in Fairytales

Shepard stood in front of the Normandy navigation console debating what to do. The operation to retrieve Dr Liara T'Soni from the planet Therum was not exactly textbook, but a success none the less. They still had one last lead on Saren, but because of injuries sustained on Therum, Dr Chakwas had assigned Shepard three days of light duty before she could go back out into the field. As much as Shepard wanted to input Feros as their next destination, they had to hang around for a couple more days before she was medically eligible to participate in any ground teams. As she contemplated her next course of action, Joker notified her of an incoming call.

"Commander Shepard, my name is Nassana Dantius. I have a job for you. I can't say any more in an unsecure communication. It's time sensitive, so I need you to come see me at the Citadel. I'll be waiting in the diplomat's lounge on the Presidium."

Shepard frowned. "I'm sorry, but I'm not going to be back on the Citadel any time soon. If it's time sensitive, you need to find someone else."

Shepard heard Nassana gasp. "Commander, this is critical. If you can't get here... Is there any way for you to contact me on a secure channel? I absolutely must speak with you on this matter! Please..."

Shepard heard the desperation in her voice. "Send me your secure contact info and I'll call you right back." She then contacted Joker. "Jeff, put us in orbit at the relay and hold while I find out what the heck is going on."

Once the secure link was established, Nassana told a story of how her sister Dahlia was a crewman on a cargo vessel that was taken by privateers, and how she had subsequently received a ransom request with a voice print as proof of life.

Shepard considered the implications quickly, before responding. "I think I know what you're going to ask me, because paying ransoms seldom actually meets with success. I'm sorry, Nassana, but my mission is very important. I can't divert off to the Terminus Systems to chase down slavers, no matter who they may have. You'll need to hire someone else."

Nassana replied just as quickly. "That's just it, Commander. You don't have to divert anywhere. I tracked their transmission back through several comm buoys and it led to the Artemis Tau cluster. You're already there. They're on Sharjila, in the Macedon system. Please, Commander!"

Shepard was surprised that Nassana knew where they were. "I don't think I want to know how you know where I am right now, do I?"

The lie rolled easily off Nassana's tongue as she answered, "I work for the Asari government, Commander. Extortion against an Asari official is taken very seriously. When I took this to Councilor Tevos, she recommended I contact you immediately."

"I see." Shepard realized the diversion would cost her less than twelve hours, so agreed. "I'll do this, but I can't offer any promises. And I need to continue my mission, so Dahlia may end up a guest of the Normandy until I can get her back to Citadel space. I can't offer you any type of timeframe, not even for a confirmation as to whether or not we are successful, but I'll try to let you know what we find."

Since the communication was audio only, Nassana smiled as she offered her response in her best distraught voice. "Understood, Commander. I... I leave this in your capable hands. Thank you."

Nassana relaxed back in her chair with a smug expression on her face. _Perfect_.

\-------------------------------

Based on the time sensitive nature of the mission, Shepard begged for a medical release from Karin, finally getting it when she promised both to take Wrex for the heavy lifting and to swear off any use of her Vanguard charge. "So help me, Shepard. You come back injured from the mission, this will be the last waiver you'll ever get from me. Understood?" Karin glared at the commander until she received confirmation the message was received and understood.

The team hit the ground with the Mako and did a quick scan. There were a couple of rare mineral deposits and a crashed probe that were definitely worth surveying and salvaging, and some type of outpost, removed from the main stronghold. Shepard decided to check it out, to make sure the slavers couldn't call for reinforcements and engage the team on two fronts. The camp ended up being abandoned, but salvage turned up a theoretical dissertation by some Asari Matriarch named Dilinaga. Shepard grabbed it up, thinking that perhaps Dr T'Soni would be interested in it. After stowing their salvage in the Mako, the team headed off to locate the pirate base. As they approached, they quickly discovered it had multiple watchtowers with snipers who would have to be incapacitated before the team could safely dismount the Mako. To that end, Wrex happily operated the guns and Tali was on the electronics suite, monitoring shields and radio traffic. After a few moments of frantic driving and dodging, the stronghold's exterior defenses were down.

As soon as they cleared the Mako. Tali worked at hacking the door lock. Once unlocked, the team rolled in through the door and were immediately swarmed by multiple hostiles. Wrex was in his element and charged forward, throwing warps and blasting away with his shotgun, with Shepard hot on his heels. Tali launched her attack drone and quickly took cover, immediately going to work at taking down the enemies' shields. As Shepard tossed out lifts, it was a fifty-fifty shot as to whether she would finish off the enemy with weapons fire or if Wrex would detonate it with a warp. Seeing how much Wrex loved to watch things explode, the warp method turned out to be pretty popular. It wasn't long before the facility was clear of hostiles and the search began for signs of any captives. There was only one closed room downstairs, which turned out to be a small office with a few small storage lockers. Tali had them open in a flash, and the team acquired some decent gear upgrades, complements of the pirate band. The team completed the sweep of the lower level with no sign of Dantius.

Shepard shook her head, "This isn't looking good. I have a feeling the captives have already been moved to another location. I doubt we're going to have very good news for her sister. I hope we didn't tip them off when we went to that abandoned camp first." The team eased into a stairwell and carefully moved to the upper level, weapons at the ready in case someone was trying to hide or catch the team by surprise. Wrex hoped there was someone up there, but his desire was left unsatisfied. The layout was identical to the first floor, and there was only one office upstairs as well. Just as Shepard feared, no captives and no Dahlia Dantius. Wrex and Shepard searched the various storage lockers while Tali hacked into the computer, hoping to find some clue as to where they may have moved any hostages.

The search was interrupted by a surprised exclamation from Tali. "Shepard! You're not going to like this... not one bit."

Shepard turned to the little Quarian with a frown. "What am I not going to like? Where did they take them?"

"They didn't take any captives anywhere. The sign-on for this computer... and all the messages moving back and forth? They belong to Dahlia Dantius."

Shepard stopped dead in her tracks. "What the hell? You telling me Dahlia wasn't kidnapped... that this is her office and she _ran_ the operation?" The scowl on Shepard's face indicated a storm was definitely brewing.

Tali almost shrunk in on herself, knowing what Shepard's reaction was going to be. "That's exactly what I'm saying, Shepard.   She was in charge... and based on this picture, she was the Asari we killed downstairs." Even though no one could see her face behind her envirosuit, Tali grimaced as she finished explaining. "And that's not all. There are messages in here back and forth to her sister. Nassana knew."

"Hell's bells! That bitch used me to eliminate a potential threat to her political career!" Shepard's face turned red with anger. "Tali, download that information and pass it to my omnitool. Nassana and I are gonna have a chat." Shepard kicked a nearby crate in frustration.

Wrex didn't help matters when he chuckled. "Looks like you just became a merc for hire, Shepard. Who knew you'd ever fall so low?"

His continued laughter was met by a withering glare from the commander as she growled a response, "You're lucky you're my favorite Krogan, Wrex."

"Ah. Just pulling your chain, Shepard. The Krogan are used to being screwed over by politicians. Welcome to the club." Wrex was still entertained by the whole chain of events, but at least he quit laughing out loud about it.

\-------------------------------

Once they cleared the airlock, Shepard made a beeline to the comm room, not even bothering with a secure channel. Nassana answered quickly. "Commander Shepard, I didn't expect to hear back from you so soon..."

"Cut the act, Dantius. I know the truth now, and I don't appreciate you turning a Council Spectre into a hit man for hire. I downloaded enough information off the computer systems at the merc base to prove you knew all about their operation and that there was never any kidnapping. You're done."

Nessana scoffed. "Oh, please. You must understand why I did what I did. If I had reported my sister through proper channels, I would have been placed on suspension at a minimum. If she wasn't apprehended quickly, I may have lost my job completely. To me, that wasn't a viable option. I promise you'll be well compensated for your efforts on my behalf."

Shepard growled, "Don't 'oh, please' me and keep your blood money! I'm turning all the evidence we collected over to Tevos and C-Sec, but only because it may be a while before I return to the Citadel. And if for some reason they don't act on it right away, trust me, you don't want to still be on the Citadel when I do return."

The veracity of Shepard's response caught Dantius off guard. "Seems a bit harsh, don't you think, Commander?"

"I'm not a big fan of politics, I don't like being played, and I hate being lied to. Consider yourself warned." Shepard reached over and terminated the connection before Nassana had a chance to reply again. The commander shook her head in disgust. "You get all that, Joker?"

"Roger that, ma'am. I'll assemble all the logs and forward them to you to add to the data you collected from the base. Am I pointing the nose to Feros now, Commander?"

"Yes. We've wasted almost twelve hours in this system. We don't need to waste any more."

\-------------------------------

Shepard stepped into the medbay and talked briefly with Karin, letting the good doctor do a quick physical exam to prove she came away from Sharjila with no injuries. Karin practically smirked, "See, Commander. You really can be careful when properly motivated." Shepard just laughed and stepped into the back room to speak with Dr T'Soni.

As the door slid open, Liara practically jumped out of her chair. "C-Commander. It's... uhm... nice to see you. Are you coming to check up on me?" Liara was obviously nervous and fiddled with her science suit as if to make sure she had it on correctly and all zipped up. Even after she smoothed all the nonexistent wrinkles, she still fidgeted with her hands. She must have realized what she was doing, because she suddenly squared her shoulders and clasped her hands behind her back. She was still fidgeting, but at least her hands were where the commander could no longer see how nervous she was.

"I just wanted to make sure your accommodations were satisfactory and that you have everything you need." Shepard smiled at the young researcher, trying to put her more at ease.

"Oh, yes, Commander. It is more than adequate. Much more than I expected actually." Liara hesitated for a moment and shifted her eyes to look down at the floor before continuing. "I do not mean to offend, but... I was unsure as to what my status would be when I first came aboard. I know you said that _you_ trust me, but I can tell by the looks I get from the crew that the rest do not feel the same. I... I was unsure when I first awoke if I was a passenger or... a prisoner." Liara's posture broke and she started to wring her hands again for just a moment before she folded her arms across her stomach in a protective posture.

Shepard shook her head. "I'm sorry, Liara. I should have been more clear about your status when you woke up in the medbay. I certainly didn't mean to cause you any uncertainty or distress. I imagine you have it figured out by now. After all, I don't make a habit of personally delivering food to prisoners." Shepard smiled as she watched Liara's blush of embarrassment creep up her neck. "You do understand you are a full-fledged member of the crew now, right?"

Liara responded quietly. "Yes, Commander. I appreciate the faith and trust you have placed in me. I can only hope to live up to your expectations." She paused only briefly before continuing. "I never did properly thank you for saving me from the Geth. If you had not shown up, I..."

Shepard's expression turned serious. "I'm just glad we got there in time." It was Shepard's turn to pause as she tried to remember what she had been talking about. Something about this Asari put her off her game. Shepard found herself easily distracted by the attractive maiden. "Anyway, as a crew member, the Normandy obviously provides room and board, and if you require any specialty equipment or gear in addition to what has been provided, just let me know and we'll try to get it for you." The smile returned to Shepard's face. "I'm glad to have you aboard, Liara."

Liara smiled back for the first time. "I am happy to be here, Commander. Given the circumstances, I feel much more secure with you... uhm... on the Normandy, that is, than at the dig site." Liara cursed at herself for letting that slip, but was relieved when the Commander made no comment on her change of phrasing.

Shepard's eyes suddenly went wide, realizing that speaking with Liara had made her completely forget the reason she had come in the first place. "Oh, hey. Speaking of dig sites...when we were on Sharjila, we came across an abandoned camp and when we dug through the crates we came across this writing by Matriarch Dilinaga." Shepard dug it out of her pocket and handed it over to the surprised Asari. "Thought it might interest you."

Liara was stunned. "Commander Shepard! Matriarchal writings from our age of interstellar exploration are cultural treasures to my people! This is extremely valuable... Why would you give this to me? If you turned it over to Councilor Tevos, it would certainly curry favor!"

Shepard practically snorted. "Any favor I got from the council would be short-lived at best. Besides, you're the archeologist... Even though it's not related to the Protheans, I still have more faith in you than in the councilor to make sure it gets into the right hands."

Liara was still in shock at what she was holding in her hand. "Goddess. I cannot possibly thank you enough, Commander. I will certainly ensure this gets to the Thessia Guildhall for study."

"I'm glad you like it, Liara. I'll see you later." No longer angry over the whole Dantius incident, Shepard was grinning ear-to-ear when she walked out, caught up in the Asari's enthusiasm and feeling inordinately pleased with the ability to bring a smile to the archeologist's face. The trip to Sharjila had been worthwhile, after all.

\-------------------------------

After dinner, Shepard walked around and talked with some the crew, just trying to get a handle on how well everyone was integrating.   Ashley seemed to have done a complete turnaround, and was openly chatting with Tali, trying to explain some of the human colloquialisms that seem to cause so much confusion. It made the commander think of Liara...she has the same issue with understanding non-literal phraseology. Liara tended to be more of a loner, secluding herself in her room behind the med bay. Maybe it was time to check in on the good doctor, and make sure she was settling in comfortably and had eaten dinner. Shepard almost stopped dead in her tracks when she suddenly realized where her thoughts had taken her. _By the Great Mother! I am infatuated with an Asari! I mean she's beautiful, but damn! I can't possibly be in love with someone I just met._ She resumed her normal pace after a quick shake of her head, but did not change her destination.

Shepard walked through the med bay to the back room they had provided the archeologist. As the door slid open, she took in the view once more. The area was really no more than a glorified storage room, but there was ample space for a cot, a small desk with a private terminal on it and still a little bit of room to move around, even with a few storage crates still sitting around. Not much, but more private accommodations that any of the rest of the crew had. Still, Shepard had to admit, the best thing in the room was the person now occupying it. Liara stood up when Shepard entered the room. "Hello, Commander. Is there something I can help you with?"

"Hey Liara, no, nothing specific, but I'd like a chance to just talk. I like to get to know my crew, more so than what I can read in a dossier; that is, if you don't mind and if you have time." Shepard observed the Asari, to see that her response matched her body language.

"Certainly, Commander. I would like the opportunity to learn a bit more about you as well. I hope that does not seem too forward?"

Shepard chuckled. "Not a bit, Liara. Though you're going to wear out my title if you keep calling me Commander every time you speak to me. My rule is if we're off duty, it's Shepard...Unless you want me calling you Dr T'Soni all night, that is. We can stay formal, if that would make you more comfortable, though honestly, I prefer calling you Liara." A spike of hope came when Liara started nodding her head in agreement.

"Agreed, Com.....ah, Shepard. I will admit, I am used to being alone much of the time, so my social skills are not well developed. One would think otherwise, being a daughter of a Matriarch, but my mother was always busy, so I was normally either alone or with one of my mother's acolytes or commandos. I actually preferred it that way."

Liara wrinkled her nose, as if recalling an unpleasant memory. "People expected me to follow in Benezia's footsteps...they wanted me to become a leader of our people. But I have always felt drawn to the past; the Protheans were these wondrous mysterious figures. I wanted to learn everything about them." Suddenly, Liara looked troubled. "Perhaps if I had stayed, Benezia would not have allied with Saren. None of this makes sense to me. I have not actually seen her in many years, but I know her, or at least I did. This was not like her. Something changed."

Shepard suddenly felt the need to smooth the worry lines from the Asari's forehead. "It's ok, Liara, we'll figure it out, given enough time. Besides, tonight, I came here to talk about you, not your mother."

Liara ducked her head, blushing. "I..I am sorry, Shepard, I do not know what to say, I am afraid I am not very interesting. I spend most of my time on remote digs, unearthing mundane items, buried in long forgotten Prothean ruins. Most people are not very interested in that sort of thing and find it very boring."

Shepard frowned, "That is so not true. At least not for me...I love history. Besides, don't sell yourself short, Liara. I know you've written a least a dozen papers... Just because your people don't give you the credit due, doesn't mean the rest of us aren't paying attention. But I do have to say, the solitary life you describe sounds dangerous, and lonely..."

Liara shrugged, "Until the Geth followed me to Artemus Tau, I never found myself in any situation my biotics could not handle. As for the solitude, well, that is one aspect that most appealed to me. Sometimes, I just need to get away from other people. You have witnessed my inadequacies in social situations, so you should understand why I sometimes prefer to spend my time in the field on remote digs. I always seem to say something embarrassing around other people."

Shepard cocked her head and gave Liara a rakish grin. "I think it's part of your charm. You are very straight forward. I can trust what you say, without having to search for ulterior motives. You shouldn't be embarrassed by your sincerity. I like it." That, at least, got a shy smile out of the Asari.

"Shepard, as I have said, I'm not used to dealing with people, especially humans. What little time I have spent with you and your crew, I have already discovered you humans are creatures of action. You, in particular, pursue your goals with an almost indomitable determination. I cannot believe you took on a Krogan Battlemaster on my behalf, when you don't even know me. I find it ... admirable. There is something compelling about you, Shepard...you intrigue me." Liara paused and took a deep breath before the rest of the words came out in a rush, as if she had to get them all out before her courage failed her. "I am very inexperienced in this, yet I... I feel as if we share some type of connection, but I am not sure if it is appropriate to act on my feelings. I am sorry if this is awkward. I am only trying to be honest." Liara stopped, obviously nervous, biting her lower lip and looking at the floor, refusing to meet the commander's eyes.

Shepard reached over gently and lifted Liara's chin, until their eyes met, not letting her look away. "Liara, you're right, there is something between us. I've felt it since our eyes first met. There was a definite spark. I couldn't explain it then, I can't explain it any better now." As Shepard spoke, she watched the heat rise in the Asari's face, creeping out of her collar, up her neck, and finally leaving an attractive blush on her cheeks.

When the commander touched her chin, Liara felt a bolt of electric travel through her being and her skin burned hot where Shepard's fingers caught under her chin. Liara blurted out, "Does this not seem strange to you? We have only known each other a short time. We have almost nothing in common. This makes no sense!" Her blush rose in full at her admission and she pulled her chin from Shepard's grasp and looked away, self-conscious.

Shepard spoke very quietly, "Logic doesn't always work when it comes to relationships, but we do have things in common, Liara. We are not as disparate as it may seem on the surface. We both like history, we're both interested in the Protheans, and because of circumstances, we certainly have a common goal. Quit thinking like a scientist and just let yourself get swept up in the storm." Shepard leaned over a bit to recapture the Asari's gaze and Liara looked into soft green pools full of compassion. "Liara?"

Liara swallowed hard and finally managed to speak. "You make it sound so...chaotic, so... dangerous. This is all a bit overwhelming. I am not used to...this. You. I...I need some time."

Shepard smiled and told her, "Take all the time you need, I'll be around." She closed the distance between them and heard Liara's sharp intake of breath. She cautiously cupped Liara's face with both hands and gently kissed her on the forehead. Then, Shepard whispered in her ear, "You intrigue me as well, Dr T'Soni... I'm not going anywhere. Goodnight, Liara." As she stepped back, she dropped her hands to Liara's shoulders and drifted with a gentle touch down her arms, finally clasping Liara's trembling hands with a tender caress. With one last smile for the beautiful Asari before her, she turned and left the room.

Liara was practically frozen in panic when the commander stepped up and reached for her, having no idea what was coming. _Did I not just say I needed time?_ The feathery kiss on her forehead was a surprise, not unwelcome by any means, and it seemed to send a second lightning bolt down through her whole body, all the way to her toes. She felt like a leaf, shaking in the wind, ready to be blown away by the storm. When Shepard let go of her hands and left, she felt like her only remaining anchor had been torn from her grasp. She finally exhaled the breath she did not realize she was holding, and sat in a heap on her cot. _By the Goddess!_


	8. Lessons in Love and War

Shepard returned to her room, thinking of her conversation with Liara, extremely happy there was a chance her feelings were reciprocated. It was hard for the commander to pinpoint when exactly the attraction started; it was difficult to admit it was love at first sight. _That doesn't happen in real life...does it?_ Liara was beautiful, no doubt. Of course, Shepard didn't believe she'd ever met an Asari that wasn't a looker, but Liara was unique. The expressions on her face were endearing, and her eyes... those gorgeous radiant blue eyes... spoke volumes. But in all reality, it was more than the looks. There was something exceptional about the woman that just made Shepard's breath come a little quicker, made her heart beat a little faster. It was just a feeling of simple... innocence? Purity? No, it was not so simple that it could be any one solitary thing; it was everything that made up the whole. Her lack of experience with humans brought a fresh perspective, like Shepard was able to honestly see the human race for the first time through Liara's eyes. _Geez, I'm waxing like a love sick teen!_ Whatever it was, they both voiced their mutual interest tonight, and Shepard had great hope for a potential relationship in the future. _I can see how it very easily could grow to something more..._ Even in the short term, it would be a pleasant diversion for times when the weight of the galaxy seemed just a little too heavy to bear. With a heartfelt sigh, Commander Shepard glanced at the new pile of paperwork that had shown up on her desk. After working on the stack for only a half hour, she realized that her persistent headache was once again pounding on the inside of her skull. It now seemed like it never truly went away, just receded to the shadows when she was really busy and focused on other things. The main thing was when she got tired, it affected her ability to concentrate. It was a distraction she couldn't afford right now. Massaging her temples to no avail, she just acquiesced to the fact she'd get no more paperwork done tonight if she couldn't concentrate, so it was time to hit the sack. Once again thinking of Dr T'Soni, she drifted off to sleep.

Shepard awoke to a relentless pounding noise. _What is that racket?_ She got up and stomped to her door, prepared to flay whoever is causing the disturbance. Yanking open the door, she was immediately blinded by explosions and fire. She heard someone screaming off to the side and turned to look... and found herself once more looking down upon the ruins of some unknown city. All she witnessed was destruction and pain. The pounding was the result of main cannons, on huge ships, blasting away the lives and dreams of an entire civilization. Everything was burning and the heat unbearable. The flash of a blazing sun was so bright she threw up her arm to block it, and when she was able to see again, she was sitting bolt upright in her own bed, her arm thrown across her eyes in defense against the recurring nightmare that was now seemingly plaguing her every sleeping moment, stealing away any chance of restful slumber. Shepard forcefully rubbed her forehead, and then pressed against both temples, neither action gaining any traction against the pulsing throbs threatening to push all reasoned thought out of reach. With a heavy exhausted sigh, she got up and took yet one more early morning shower. She stayed there for a long time, leaning her head against the tile wall as the water streamed down her back. _This is really starting to piss me off._

\-------------------------------

The door slid open and the commander strode in, a woman on a mission, bee-lining to the Asari. "Liara!" Startled, Liara jumped up, crashing into her desk and sending her coffee cup flying. The commander leaned in quickly, snatched the coffee cup mid air, and held it out for Liara to take from her, all in one smooth motion.

"C-Commander! Goddess, you scared me! I... I'm sorry, I was concentrating on my Therum notes, and...." she just trailed off, swallowing hard, eyes still wide and darting, one hand near her throat as if trying to physically keep her heart from jumping out of her chest.

Sheepishly ducking her head, Shepard attempted to apologize. "Oh geez, sorry Liara...guess that was...um... rather abrupt..." She failed miserably at looking repentant, as she suddenly busted out laughing. "God, the look on your face! I'm sorry, I just can't help myself," continuing to laugh uncontrollably.

"I do not find this very amusing, Commander! I could...I might....I don't even know what to say!" At her total loss for words, Liara almost smiled, waving her hands in the air in frustration. "What is it about you that leaves me a complete, unintelligible buffoon? I have two doctorates, yet I cannot even form a proper sentence!"

Watching the flailing Asari, Shepard was having a hard time catching her breath, tears streaming down her face. "Oh, God, just... stop...and let me breathe!"

With that, Liara's waving hands parked on her hips, now looking rather annoyed and doing her best to glare at the commander. With a concerted effort, not in any small part aided by the fact that Liara was no longer flailing her arms about, Shepard finally controlled her giggles and held the coffee cup out again for Liara to take. Liara's hand snapped out and snatched the cup away, then she thumped it down onto the desk before turning back to glower at the commander.

Shepard finally stopped laughing all together, but still couldn't get the raffish grin off her face. "Ok... seriously now... I really do need to speak with you...about Feros." Liara looked a little less indignant, so Shepard felt it safe to continue. "All I know is it's a Third Age Prothean ruin, currently controlled by an ExoGeni Corporation research group. All humans." As she spoke, the smile on her face slowly died, and she became all business. "We're here because of a report of Geth activity, so I assume somewhere in the ruins is a beacon or something of value to Saren. Ever studied here? Been here for any purpose?"

Liara looked sad, feeling she would let the commander down. "I am sorry, Commander, but I can offer no insights. Ownership has floated through multiple organizations since the site was discovered, but companies are very protective of their intellectual property and corporate research. I was never able to get a permit for entry." She was the Prothean expert; she had to have something to offer... "Perhaps I could accompany you on the ground team...in case we find something?"

Shepard eyed the Asari with an appraising look, contemplating. "You're a hell of a biotic, but you haven't done any military training, have you?"

Liara just looked down and shook her head no; with no training, she would be a liability. Liara thought, _I'll have to remedy that as soon as I am able._ The commander pondered a moment, and then asked a follow-up question, _"_ Have you at least fired a weapon?"

At this, Liara brightened. "Oh yes. I used to practice with Mother's commandos. I am fairly proficient with a pistol. I generally bring one on every dig...but I lost my Stiletto when we abandoned Therum." Liara looked despondent, sad for the loss of a gift from her mother and for being so irresponsible as to lose her weapon. She had become complacent on her digs and it had almost cost her life; she vowed to never let that happen again.

Shepard let out a low whistle. "Stiletto? Wow, nice pistol. Expensive. I don't know how soon we'll be able to replace that. Ok, let me think about this. I should have evaluated your crew capabilities as soon as we had you on board... and should have started weapons training at the very least. That's my bad. A pistol doesn't do crap against an armored Geth, but you do have your biotics. We may need your Prothean expertise...so, I think we'll take you as a fourth man." Liara's crystal blue eyes shimmered with anticipation.

"Let me explain that... our normal squad deployment is three people, or multiple teams of three. It's a minimum number to ensure you can get adequate cross or cover fire. Since we are going against Geth, I need to give Tali a run because of her hacking capabilities, but I can't keep an eye on both of you at the same time...so as a fourth man, you need to stick to me as best you can, but at the same time, you also need to remain under cover. Never, ever, expose yourself to enemy fire, and keep your barrier up. Understood?"

Liara nodded enthusiastically, her eyes shining with excitement at the thought of being able to contribute to the mission. Shepard saw the eagerness in her eyes and issued a caution. "Today, you are not a combatant. I don't mean this derogatorily, but look at it as us escorting the professor; we need you for your knowledge, not as an extra fighter. Until we get you some armor and at least medium weapons training, I don't want to risk you..." Shepard looked down at the floor as she said, "You're too important to me...and this mission, in more ways than one."

Her eyes were cloudy as she looked back up at Liara. "One last thing, T'Soni. In here, I'm Shepard. Out there, I'm the commander. This is the critical piece to bring you back safe, so if you listen to nothing else I've said today, listen to this. If I tell you to do something, you do it, immediately and without question... Don't take anything personally; just do what I tell you, immediately and without question. Is that understood?"

Liara looked at the expression on Shepard's face and knew this was nonnegotiable. All she could say was, "Yes, ma'am."

\-------------------------------

The landing on Feros was thankfully uneventful.   The Normandy docked and there was an ExoGeni representative already waiting once the airlock cleared and the crew was able to disembark. It was quiet long enough for the rep to say their leader, some guy named Fai Dan, was waiting for them at the colony. Then the first wave of Geth hit...as the first shot took out the ExoGeni rep, the Normandy ground crew instantly starting diving for cover behind anything they could find. Tali hacked the trooper closest to her, causing it to turn around and started firing back at the other Geth. Making for a great distraction, it allowed Shepard, Ash, Tali and Liara to move to cover, and get the remaining Geth troops in their sights. Tali continued her hacking, keeping a single Geth troop almost constantly under friendly control. The walking battle tank, Wrex, just simply threw himself into the fray, charging in and crushing one Geth, while swinging his shotgun and blasting another in a nearby singularity. If nothing else, he drew the majority of fire, as it was hard, impossible really, for the Geth to ignore the big charging Krogan in their midst. Garrus provided some incredible sniper shots and Kaidan jumped in with warps and singularities, keeping the Geth off balance.

Shepard noticed there seemed to be a lot of energy flowing for a single biotic, so she had a feeling Liara was 'assisting' with some of the workload, even though she had been specifically instructed to be a non-combatant. _We'll talk about that later, T'Soni._ As that thought passed through her mind, Shepard glanced back over her shoulder to scowl at Liara, but she was nowhere to be seen. Shepard brought her eyes back front. _Then again, good job staying under cover, Doctor. You just might have a knack for this!_

It wasn't terribly long before the team found themselves at the colony. Attempting to speak with any of the colonists proved an exercise in frustration. After very limited conversation, every one of them had a near identical response, "You should talk to Fai Dan." Shepard cussed under her breath at their lack of cooperation and sought out the colony leader to get some answers.

"Fai Dan? I'm Commander Shepard of the SSV Normandy. We came in response to your hail."

A woman in black ExoGeni body armor was standing next to him, and tartly spit out, "A little late, aren't you?"

"Arcelia. These people have come to help." Fai Dan turned to the group, apologetic. "I'm glad you're here, Commander. The Geth have been pressing us pretty hard." A very brief discussion revealed no relevant data. The colony had no idea why the Geth were here, they hadn't seen any sign of Saren, and the Normandy crew was no closer to having any answers when a dropship showed up and more Geth started dropping in from above.

Arcelia yelled, "The Geth are in the tower!" and ran to the nearest barricade.

A quick glance at Liara... "Do not try to follow me, stay with the support group!" and Shepard and Wrex took the lead, literally charging into the tower, smashing into the Geth and blasting away with their shotguns. The rest of the crew was left with mop-up duty as everyone moved up through the tower, one floor at a time. Shepard and Wrex barely slowed, moving so quickly the Geth had no time to prepare for the onslaught. Finally they approached the top floor and Shepard called a halt. The roof was partially collapsed on the tower, and the Geth dropship was visible through the gap.

"Ok, we have no idea how many more platforms are on ship, so we need to make sure we don't get in so deep they can drop behind us. Wrex, Ash and I will go deep; Kaidan, you've got the support team of Tali and Liara...Garrus, find yourself a vantage point and do what you do best. Whatever you do, DO. NOT. expose yourself to direct fire from that ship. No amount of barrier or shield will save you! Let's move!" The lead team penetrated into the upper floor, moving in only so far as the first available cover.

As Geth started to appear, Garrus got the first kill with his sniper rifle and happily called out, "Scratch one!"

Initially, Wrex and Shepard limited themselves to long-range biotics and standard weapons, Wrex with his shotgun and Shepard selecting her Locust SMG. Eventually, the Geth figured out they were at a disadvantage and pulled back into cover, forcing the Normandy team into having to press forward. They didn't have time for a stalemate...siege mentality doesn't work against a synthetic enemy that doesn't need food or water. Shepard, Ash, and Wrex started to move deeper into the room, when suddenly Liara called out, "Shepard! There's a control platform behind us!"

Apparently, a Geth Prime had worked its way into the tower from somewhere below, through a second entrance the team had yet to discover, and came in the same door the team had used earlier to gain access to the top floor. The Prime's first shot blasted Tali before anyone had a chance to react, giving Kaidan and Liara opportunity to dive to opposite sides, hoping to catch the Geth in a crossfire. Unfortunately, Shepard was correct in her assessment...a standard military grade pistol had virtually no effect on the Geth. The two biotics had little choice in their weapons and they could regenerate biotic power only so quickly, so the Prime had a huge advantage. As it turned toward Kaidan, who flared his barrier, the Prime was suddenly rocked by sniper fire from Garrus and a warp from Liara; its shields weakened, but did not drop. Unable to generate a barrier yet because of the warp she just threw, Liara scrambled for cover as the Prime turned toward her. Shepard's world went into slow motion as she called her biotics and charged the Prime in a flash of blue biotic power. Not seeing what Shepard was doing behind him, Kaidan dropped his barrier and threw a massive lift, picking the Prime slightly into the air, helpless. A charged Shepard slammed into the lifted Prime and the resultant explosion destroyed the Prime and blew Shepard off to the side, into a pile of rubble. Liara saw the commander land in a heap and her heart fluttered in fear as she called out, "Shepard!"

Liara bolted to the commander's side and looked on in open-mouthed amazement as Shepard laughed, jumped up and shook herself off, whooping, "Oof! Now, THAT was a hell of a trip!"

Shepard took a quick glance around to check her squad's status and saw Tali, lying very still. The commander's demeanor immediately changed and she rushed to Tali's side, joining Garrus and Ashley who were already working on the little Quarian. Ashley had already checked vitals and applied medigel. Garrus cussed, "Damn it! Her suit is breached. With her compromised immune system, we need to get her back to Chakwas ASAP!"

Shepard gave a worried look and made the call to Karin to let her know she had a critical incoming. "Garrus, Ash, get her back to the Normandy.   The rest of us will escort you as far as the divide and then go finish our chat with Fai Dan."

Upon returning to the colony, Fai Dan was still frustratingly non cooperative, insisting he had no information as to what the Geth could possibly want on Feros. Shepard was getting irritated. "You're telling me, that, a week ago, when you sent the request for assistance, it was just because of the Geth. You didn't see a black ship that looks like a big squid, rather difficult to confuse with anything else, and you didn't see a big marauding Turian, or an Asari Matriarch, or any Asari commandos she probably would have had with her. You didn't see ANY of those things, together or alone?"

Fai Dan was frustratingly calm in his response, "I'm sorry, I can't help that. All I can suggest is that ExoGeni may have the information you're looking for. The Geth attacked there first."

Shepard drew a big breath and held it for a few seconds before exhaling and speaking, her words clipped. "So, how do we get to ExoGeni?"

"Take the elevator to the Skyway. It connects us to the other two buildings that ExoGeni was using. I'm pretty sure at least one of the vehicles in the garage still works."

Their biggest fan, Arcelia, couldn't resist adding venom to the mix. "We've beaten the Geth back three times already without your help. Problem is they keep coming back, so they must have a transmitter or homing beacon down in the tunnels. Why don't you do something useful for a change and take that thing out for us?"

Shepard glowered, her face starting to turn red.   "Sure, princess. While we're out and about what other errands can we run to help you keep your little colony afloat."

Arcelia was about to make a caustic comeback when Fai Dan stepped in and actually answered the question...civilly. "The Geth have damaged our water supply system, our food supplies are low because a large alpha varren is making hunting too risky, and our power system has been down since our battery bank took a hit. If you can help us become self-sufficient again, we will be very much in your debt." Shepard just stared at him for a moment, surprised by the audacity it took to actually expect the Spectre to do those things. She took a deep breath and closed her eyes for a moment and made a decision. She would actually go take care of those things, because shooting more Geth and blasting the shit out of some varren actually sounded like a really good idea at the moment. She turned away from Fai Dan and stalked off to the tunnel entrance, pulling out her shotgun as she walked.

A good many hours later, the team had wandered their way down every inch of tunnel below the colony. They found all the water mains the Geth had closed and reopened each of them, thinned out a rather nasty pack of varren and salvaged some battery packs from an old transporter. Then, they located the transmitter. Taking down the transmitter itself was easy; it was the long narrow corridor, with absolutely no cover, and guarded by Geth assault drones and three Krogan warlords that made it interesting. If Tali had been with the team, it would have been easy. Hack one drone at a time until they shoot each other down, and then blow up the last drone. As it was, the Normandy team had to do it the hard way, which meant playing cat and mouse at the doorway, ducking in and out with shields and barriers, slowly chipping away at the drone shields until they finally dropped, and one at a time the drones eventually got blasted out of the sky. The three Krogan were actually easy by comparison. With Liara and Kaidan teaming up to throw singularity and warp pairings, a charging Krogan Battlemaster with a shotgun, and a deceptive small human female who could slam into you like a freight train, the enemy Krogan went down fast. However, because everything took so long, the team retired to the Normandy for the night, checking out the garage on the way. It contained only a single operational Mako; capacity three. Tomorrow, Shepard would only be able to take a single three-man team into the heart of the Geth invasion. _Lovely._

Shepard's first stop when arriving back at the Normandy was the med bay to check on Tali, the rest of the team hot on her trail. Everyone wanted to know how their little Quarian sister was doing.   Karin let everyone in for just a few moments, so they could see, in person, that Tali had rallied. She was tired, had been pumped full of pain meds and antibiotics, and would be out of the battle rotation for at least a week, but she would recover; that cheered everyone immensely. Doc Chakwas quickly chased everyone out, but looked at Shepard. "You can have a moment, Commander, but I still need you to keep it short. By the way, nice to see you in one piece for a change."

Shepard grinned and quipped, "Yeah, I figured I've been in so much trouble lately, I'd let Tali take the hit for me this time."

Tali laughed weakly, and replied, "Next time I'll just stick to hacking. I don't think I want this job."

A more somber Shepard stepped up and gently took Tali's hand, giving her some very...Quarian...encouragement. "Heal and recover little sister. Your Captain and crew need you."

Tali responded quietly, "Thank you, Shepard, I will." With that, the commander beat a hasty retreat to ditch her gear, grab a shower, and then have a chat with Ashley.

Shepard stopped in the mess, did a quick check, then headed down to the Armory. "Hey Ash, had dinner yet?" "No, ma'am. Wanted to clean my gear first and get stuff ready for tomorrow."

"Don't ever let it be said I don't appreciate your dedication, but your gear can wait. Come up and grab some chow with me.   I need some help."

Ashley looked puzzled. "What? The great Commander Shepard, Hero of Elysium, Captain of the Normandy, Vanguard Supreme, needs help from a poor little Gunny Chief?"

Shepard chuckled. "Exactly right. We all need a little help from our friends now and again. In this case, I need a Gunnery Chief's expertise for a very specific mission."

Ashley grinned."Uh oh, Skipper. Sounds awfully suspicious...I'm not sure I'll be able to help you. This isn't gonna get me tossed in the brig, is it?" Wiggling eyebrows and the mischievous twinkle in Shepard's eyes finally suckered Ashley in. "All right, Skip. Give me two secs to get this stuff put away." Ash stowed her gear and they went up to the crew deck for dinner.   Once they had their food, Shepard took them over to an end table, a bit out of the main stream of people coming and going. "Oh yeah, Shepard. Us sitting over in a corner by ourselves doesn't look in the least bit conspicuous...What gives, oh great leader of men?"

Shepard gave Ash a weary look, "Alright, alright. Nothing so exciting. Just need to talk to you about Dr T'Soni."

"Nothing exciting?" Ashley snorted, "That's just the hottest talk on the ship right now, but don't worry, Skipper. I'm cool with it. Most everyone is. I mean, it's not my cup of tea, but our chat the other night really got me to thinking. You're right. I'm not one to judge. You have enough stress in your life with all the shit going on, so if the good Doctor helps you relieve some of that, I'm good with it."

Shepard sat back with somewhat of a stunned look on her face. "Uh....ok. I'm pretty sure I started this conversation, but I'm suddenly not sure what exactly it is we're talking about? I'd hazard a guess that we're not just talking about having alien crew members?"

Ashley was suddenly chagrined. "Oh boy. I just stepped in some shit, didn't I?"

Shepard shook her head and sighed. "Spit it out, Ash. There's obviously some scuttlebutt running around. Guess I need to hear it from you now, on the up and up, instead of catching rumors of it later."

"Ok, don't know how else to say it, so I'll be blunt. Just don't explode and make a scene, ok?" Ashley grimaced as she continued, "Folks have been talking about you 'chatting up' the Asari behind the med bay. Those of us on the ground team, who know her, understand, but the rest of the crew don't have a clue. They don't know who she is or what she does, and they don't get why she's onboard and not in the brig. I'll be honest... with the Asari reputation around the galaxy as, well, uh...you know, 'entertainers', some have even inferred that she's your private... um... stress reducer."

It took every bit of self control she possessed for Shepard to not come out of her chair. She was seething, and her voice was dangerously low. "You. Have. Got. To. Be. Kidding."

"Fraid not, Skipper...Would you like a suggestion?" All Ashley got in response was a glare. "Well, want it or not, I'm gonna give you one. I do believe you told me to start acting like a Chief; this is my way to show you I've taken that to heart. The way I see it, most of it comes from nobody knowing her. She's shy, and she hides in her room. Even grabs her meals and eats in there alone most days. She doesn't socialize with anybody, really. She needs to come out. Eat meals with the crew, socialize at night. She doesn't have to play poker or drink with us, but come out and at least talk to people. She needs to tell her story, so people get to know her. It'll go a long way to setting this right."

"Well, fuck me. Last thing I wanted was to make life more difficult for her. Since we're being all so honest... Liara and I have talked about it, the potential for a relationship, but that's it; just talk. Being the daughter of a Matriarch, she's led a pretty sheltered life. I don't know if it's me, or the fact that I'm a human and she has no experience with us or what, but she's very unsure of herself as far as a relationship with me goes. It may not just be me. I get the feeling she hasn't been in any type of serious relationship. All she's ever done is study." Shepard smiles softly. "It's kinda cute. I love it about her."

Ashley snorted, "A 106-year-old virgin?" A dark shadow crossed Shepard's face and Ashley straightened up. "Sorry Commander, just joshin' ya. But you were smiling...just talking about her makes you happy, Skipper. Happy like I never see you with anybody else. It's amazing, the change that comes over you when she's in the room. It's cool. Don't let anything, or anyone, take that away from you."

Shepard looked befuddled. "Wow. I had no idea I was that obvious. Ok. That was really... unexpected. Thanks...I guess? I needed to hear it, so I can try to head it off before it explodes. I'll see what I can do to draw her out a bit, but I don't think her being seen only in my presence will help much. I'll talk to Garrus, and maybe you can talk to Tali when she's up and about again. Believe it or not, it makes a great lead in to what I actually wanted to talk to you about. I'm going to send her down to the armory tomorrow morning. Get her fitted in light armor, Predator if she can handle it, Mantis if not, and get her something with more punch than that Striker pistol she has, maybe a Shuriken or Locust SMG whichever she's more comfortable with, and pack it with some decent mods. She did pretty good today, showed good instincts. I need her if we find any Prothean tech, so if she going with us, she needs to be protected just like everyone else on the crew."

"I'm on it, Skipper. People start seeing her in battle gear, they might think about her role on the ship being other than your morale booster. Don't worry; I'll get her set up. And I'll see if I can't get her out to eat breakfast with me in the mornings. I think you normally have dinner covered. She's probably in there starving to death, waiting for you to show up." Ashley laughed at the expression on Shepard's face. "I know that look. See ya, Skipper!"

"Crap. I guess I have gotten into that habit, huh. Thanks, Ash. Really. Good to know you've got my back." Shepard stood up and headed on over to the med bay, not exactly sure how this conversation with Liara was going to go.


	9. Trouble in Paradise

When she knocked on Liara's door, Shepard actually waited for Liara to open it instead of just walking in. "Oh, hello, Commander, please, come in." Liara looked concerned for a brief moment, then pulled herself up and spoke. "I hope our previous conversations have not given you cause to not want to speak to me."

That caught Shepard by surprise. "Why would you think that?"

Liara was wringing her hands as she spoke, obviously nervous for some reason. "Well, you... uh, you normally just come in... so there must be some reason for your hesitation?"

 _And there it is, the blunt sincerity I find so refreshing._ "Ah, well. After I startled you so badly, blasting in here like I did this morning, I got to thinking about it. I've actually been pretty rude, just walking in like I have been. I mean, it is your room after all; I shouldn't just barge in on you. It's not polite. Forgive me." Shepard looked at her with a shrug of her shoulders as she finished.

Liara blushed a little, "Thank you, Shepard... it is very considerate of you, but really, it is alright. I...look forward to your visits." She smiled and sat down on her cot, pointing to the desk chair. "Will you sit?"

Shepard took the offered chair. "Thanks, but it's not alright...at least you didn't think so this morning when it happened...Matter of fact, if I remember correctly, you were downright irritated." Shepard flashed a grin before continuing. "I normally try to give my crew the same consideration I expect them to give me. It's only right... Anyway, I'd like to talk to you about tomorrow's mission. I'd like you to come along again, in case we find any Prothean tech."

Liara seemed relieved, "Absolutely, Commander. I was not sure you would want me to, after today." For a change, Liara did not look bashful at all. She looked straight at Shepard, almost as if in challenge. _She's ready for the fight... ready to defend her actions. Good!_

"From that statement, I can only surmise you are referring to your disregard of my request that you not be a combatant today." Liara shifted uncomfortably in her chair but said nothing, so the commander continued, "Yes, I noticed you were assisting Alenko today. He can't throw warp and singularity combos that fast, that frequently, and since Wrex was up front head bashing Geth with his boomstick... I certainly didn't do it, so that only left you." Shepard looked pointedly at her, and was impressed; the Asari flushed a little but folded her hands calmly in her lap and awaited judgment. Shepard took her silence as agreement and pressed on. "I'll admit, at first I was mad, but I looked back to find you, and you were nowhere to be seen. You did a great job staying in cover and kept out of the enemy's sights. More importantly, you kept a cool head under fire, especially when that damn Prime snuck in behind us. You showed good instincts today. I was...proud for you, Liara. You did well."

Liara blushed furiously at the praise, but smiled and sat up a little straighter on the cot. "Thank you, Shepard. That means a lot coming from you."

The commander suddenly scowled and looked very serious. "However, do not, even for one second, think that gives you carte blanche to ever disobey another field order I give you." Liara's smile faltered and she looked away, but said nothing. Shepard paused only slightly, considered the point made, and then continued. "So, about tomorrow. If you're going, first thing in the morning I need you down in the armory. I've already talked to Ash. She's going to get you set up with some light armor, and get you something with a little more bang for the buck than that pistol. How's that sound?"

Liara had a huge grin on her face and her eyes sparkled. "Well, I am not sure exactly what you mean by 'bang for the buck' but I would assume it means something stronger, or more efficient. I appreciate the opportunity, and if that is what you desire, I will happily comply."

"It's not about desire, Blue, it's about protection. If that Prime had hit you today from that range, I just don't want to think about what the results would have been. Tali got lucky, she was wearing light armor, but her suit still got breeched and she's going to be in the med bay for a week. I don't want that to happen to you, Liara. We've got too much ahead of us..." Shepard smiled wistfully. _So, are you going to interpret that as looming mission or personal dreams? I'm not really sure how I meant it, both, I guess._

Liara blinked. Shepard could tell she was puzzling over the same question of interpretation, but her follow on comments provided mixed signals as Liara replied, "As you wish, Commander. I will visit Chief Williams immediately after breakfast. Let's not spend every free minute talking about mission performance. It's bad enough we spend every day chasing Saren across the galaxy."

"Doesn't matter what the subject is, I like talking with you, Liara. By the way, have you eaten?"

"I have not, but I am not really very hungry. I have too much on my mind to eat right now." Liara paused, contemplating where to start. "You have been very understanding with me, Shepard. Very patient...and I appreciate that. I am aware there are some very strange beliefs about my people. I am familiar with the legend of Asari promiscuity, but those rumors have little basis in fact. When one of my people joins with an individual from another species, it is a very deep and spiritual exchange. We do not enter lightly into a union."

"I understand some of the Asari culture, and I understand your hesitation, maybe better than you realize. I am not casual about sexual relationships either, so I can relate." Shepard smiled, encouraging Liara to continue.

"A true union goes far beyond an ordinary melding. It is a connection that transcends the physical universe. Two become one. Thoughts and senses merge. Identities intertwine. Memories and emotions weave themselves together, becoming entangled in a single, rapturous whole. It is unlike any other experience. In some cases, it can be a truly life-changing event."

"I know some Asari, I've run across some commandos, but I've never melded with any, for any purpose... It sounds almost...mystical. Um, based on our previous conversation, you're not saying..." Shepard just faded out, not really wanting the answer she knew was coming.

"What? Oh! No! Uh, I am not very good at this, am I? I am sorry, Shepard. I am just trying to explain why I have been so....reserved. The union is more than just sex. It is the life blood of my species, the way we Asari evolve and grow as a society. That is why I have never...uh, I mean, that is why we must chose our partners with great care."

Shepard was surprised. "Wait... never? I figured you'd never been with a human before, but are you saying in 106 years you've never been... with anybody?"

Liara was very uncomfortable with the discussion and was staring at the floor at this point. "Shepard, 106 is barely an adult by Asari standards. And I have spent most of my time absorbed in my research. I never really thought about it...Not until I met you."

Shepard stood up and stepped away, creating more...physical space... between them, trying to make Liara a bit more comfortable. "Wait...but you have thought about it? _Holy crap!_ I like you, Liara... a lot. Somehow, you make me feel...amazing. And I know you think humans move too fast and bully our way into things, but a real relationship is not something to be rushed. It's something to be savored. I don't do ... uh, I don't have casual sex. I don't expect you...us...to jump right into a mating meld, certainly not into a full union, especially if it would be your first time. I'm certainly not going to push you into something you're not ready for. I just..." Samantha felt like there was a hole in her chest; like she was losing her grip on something very precious. "I don't want you to think I'm not interested, I just want you to be comfortable...with 'us.' I want to give us the chance to get to know one another first."

Liara looked up, "I think I would like that. You are very special to me, Shepard. But with all that is happening; Saren, the Geth, the Reapers...I do not know if we are ready for this."

Shepard sat back down in the chair, leaning forward with her elbows on her knees, and made direct eye contact with Liara. "Oh, no you don't, Blue. No second guessing us. I want to spend time with you. Humans call it dating. We're definitely ready for that, it's not really much different than what we are already doing.   As I told you last night, we'll take the time we need, Liara, and we'll be ready, for whatever comes."

"I truly hope you understand, Shepard. There is too much at stake. I wish it did not have to be this way, but I need to put aside my personal feelings and focus on stopping Saren. It is too...distracting, to me. Maybe... after... " Liara blushed furiously and then stuttered out, "Let's... let's talk about something else."

The commander sat back in the chair, a look of melancholy on her face. _Distracting? Really? How about inspiring? Something to make the fight worthwhile...?_ The thoughts ran through her mind, but she voiced none of them. Instead, she just stood up and sighed, "Actually, Liara, I'm not feeling very well, so I'm gonna go. Try to get some rest before the mission tomorrow." Shepard gave Liara a half-baked smile and returned to her own room. She didn't even bother removing her uniform before just flopping down onto the bed. Between the end of the conversation with Liara and that damn pounding headache, she almost felt nauseous.

Sam woke just after midnight, once again in the throes of that ever present nightmare. She stripped out of her uniform and took a quick shower to wash off the sweat, before returning to bed. Echoes of the nightmare still in her head notwithstanding, she was still exhausted, so it wasn't long before she drifted back into a restless sleep.

\-------------------------------

As promised, Liara was up bright and early, standing in the mess hall looking at her breakfast options when Ashley walked in. "Hey, Doc. I hear we've got an appointment this morning. Join me for chow, and we'll head to the armory together?"

Liara glanced nervously around the mess. _Not too many people here... I guess that would be ok._ "Chief, I think I would like that, thank you."

"Please, it's Ashley, or just Ash, whichever." Ash and Liara chatted amicably through breakfast, playing twenty questions. Ash asked mostly about the University of Serrice and Liara's home planet of Thessia, in general, while Liara asked about life in the Marines and being aboard a ship like the Normandy. Ash was quiet for a minute when asked about life aboard ship, and then, deciding to be candid, she confessed to Liara about her grandfather, and how the Normandy was her first ship assignment, even though she had been in long enough to make Chief. That act of trust was all it took to cement their budding friendship, and Liara told her story in turn, of what it was like to grow up as a Matriarch's daughter, the solitary life, all the expectations, and disappointments when Liara had decided to become an archeologist. Before they knew it, an hour had passed. Ash looked at her chrono and blurted out, "Holy crap! Liara, we've got to get you to the armory and get you set up! The Skipper's gonna skin me alive if you're not ready!"

As they got up to leave, Chief Williams and Dr T'Soni both saw and overheard the snippet of conversation at the same time; a leering "Boy, I'd like to get me a piece of that blue ass!"

Ash saw Liara's reaction, her blue face actually... paled. Ash didn't know it could do that, and it caught her a bit by surprise that Asari seemed to have the same type of physiological responses as humans. But it also made her very angry. She wheeled around like a raging bull.

"Petty Officer! Front and center, mister! I don't know who you think you are, but if you like your tour on the most elite ship in the Alliance Navy, you'll cage those comments. This is _Doctor_ T'Soni, an esteemed member of this crew, not some damn sex toy. Pass the word. If I hear any such comments again, from any member of this crew, I'll see to it you're put groundside faster than you can pack your toothbrush. Am. I. Understood?"

Not like he really needed to pass the word, because Chief Williams' volume was such that the entire mess heard it. Even Liara stood up ramrod straight at the tone of Ashley's voice, very glad she was not the target of Chief William's wrath. Ashley's eyes continued to rivet the Petty Officer to his spot, until he finally coughed out a "Yes, Chief!" at which point, she turned back to Liara.

"Come on Doc, let's get your armor and weapons issue completed before the Commander has my ass." Every eye in the mess watched them all the way until the elevator doors closed.

The elevator was deathly silent until Ash spoke. "Geez, sorry Liara. It's no wonder you don't want to eat in the mess, with morons like that! I didn't think when I invited you to breakfast..."

Liara's words said, "It's quite alright, Ashley, I'm well aware of the misconceptions held about the sexual habits of Asari," but the expression on her face and the glistening tears in her eyes told a different story.

Ashley gently laid a hand on Liara's arm. "No, it's not 'alright.' You've pulled our asses out of the fire a couple times, and you don't deserve that kind of treatment. I'll tell you now...if I have to personally eat everyone on this boat for breakfast to correct that 'misconception,' I will gladly take that on as a personal mission." After what she had just witnessed, Liara had no reason to doubt the veracity of that statement.

\-------------------------------

It was lunchtime before Commander Shepard emerged from her room and wandered down to the mess. When she saw Ash and Liara eating together at a table, she headed in their direction. She looked aggravated and her words were short. "T'Soni. Chief Williams get you all set up this morning?"

Liara wondered if she had heard about the morning altercation as she responded. "Yes, Ashley was very helpful, thank you. I now have a perfectly fitted suit of Predator light armor and an ultralight M-4 Shuriken with a high-caliber barrel. She also gave me a few lessons and pointers; I actually feel quite comfortable with it."

"Great. Thanks, Chief, appreciate the assist. Doc, I'll see you, geared up, at the airlock at 1300 hrs, it's you, me and Wrex." With that, Shepard hit the lunch counter, grabbed some energy drinks and some energy bars, and returned to her room. Liara and Ashley just looked at each other over the table with questioning looks on both faces. Ashley was thinking, _What the hell?_

\-------------------------------

Liara was convinced that Shepard was the worst driver in the galaxy as the Mako bobbed and weaved its way across the Skyway, headed toward the ExoGeni HQs. Wrex was firing the main gun and the coaxial cannon, while Liara was operating the radio and targeting systems. It didn't take them long to get into a battle rhythm, and the going was relatively easy, though slow and tedious. The tedium was broken when Liara suddenly piped up, "Commander, I think there are humans holding out in that building ahead of us!"

She flipped the radio to general broadcast and the entire team heard the call out. "This is Juliana Baynham of Feros Colony. Is there anyone on this channel? Damn it, I'm showing movement on the Skyway, and it's not Geth! Who's out there?" Liara attempted to contact them, but got no response, evidently either their radio or the equipment in the Mako was fault; didn't really matter which it was. Two-way communication was not possible. The Mako entered the first building and started climbing via a series of ramps, and eventually came upon what appeared to be a fortified entrance. The team exited the vehicle, snuck toward the entrance, and quickly realized this stronghold was the temporary home of the survivors heard on the radio.

“Stop right there!” shouted a harsh male voice. The speaker pushed himself to the front, confronting Shepard.

“Take it easy, Jeong, they’re obviously not Geth.” This one was an older female, her voice recognizable as the one we had heard over the radio.

Shepard raised both hands in a calming gesture. “I’m Commander Shepard of the Alliance military.”

“I’m Juliana Baynham,” said the woman. “I’m probably the senior remaining scientist from the ExoGeni installation. This is Ethan Jeong, the last surviving corporate representative.”

“I’m in charge here, Juliana!” snapped Jeong. “What are you doing here, soldier?”

“Can the attitude, Jeong. I’m here to investigate the Geth attack. Have any ideas on that?”

Jeong shook his head. “No. This is a small colony. We don’t have anything the Geth could want.”

Baynham interrupted. “Commander, you would have come through the spaceport facility?”

“Yes, we did. The colonists at Zhu’s Hope came under heavy attack too, but most of them have survived. We were able to help them keep the colony operational.”

She frowned at Jeong. “I thought you said the colonists were all dead.”

“I said they were _probably_ dead,” said Jeong.

Baynham pleased, “Well, now maybe we could join them?”

Jeong was adamant, “No, it’s too dangerous! The Geth could attack again at any time.”

Shepard nodded in agreement. “We _did_ just clear the skyway, Ms. Baynham, but who knows how fast the Geth will send reinforcements. If you haven’t been attacked yet here, I'd recommend you to stay put until we investigate the main ExoGeni facility and can escort you over.”

“Why do you need to investigate there?” demanded Jeong sharply.

“Sir, my mission requires me to find out why the Geth are here in the first place. We found nothing at Zhu’s Hope, so they must be after something at your main facility.”

“That facility is corporate property, soldier. I can’t authorize you to trespass on it.”

Shepard frowned. “Mr. Jeong, I told you, can the attitude. I don’t need your authorization. I'm not just Alliance; I’m also a Council Spectre. I go where my mission dictates.”

“A _Spectre?”_

Shepard glared, and impatiently thrust her Council identification into Jeong's face.

“No. No. It has to be a forgery.”

“Come off it, Jeong. That’s no forgery and you know it.” Baynham turned to us. “Commander, if you’re going to the main facility, would you keep an eye open for my daughter? Her name is Lizbeth; she’s a scientist in the main research office.”

Looking at Baynham, seeing a worried mother, Shepard's disposition softened, “I’ll see what we can do, if you think she could have survived the Geth.”

“Sure, there are some places she could have hidden,” Jeong muttered. “For a short time.”

Once back in the Mako, the team continued up the ramps to the next Skyway entrance and proceeded onward, with their now familiar battle strategy. Things changed when they got to the third building. It was much more strongly defended, with a greater variety of Geth, including big Juggernauts and frog-like, hopping sniper platforms that proved particularly irritating. The fight was long, and Shepard called a break to make sure everyone had a chance to grab some drinks and energy bars, before moving past the foyer of the facility. Shepard looked unusually fatigued, and Liara was concerned. "Shepard, are you all right? You seem a bit...out of sorts...?"

Shepard grimaced. "I'm fine, T'Soni. Just tired of everyone lying to us. Someone knows something about why the Geth are here, yet we've been stonewalled at every turn. I'm getting sick of it." There was no further explanation, and no additional offered conversation. Liara was convinced it was not the whole of the story, but based on Shepard's demeanor, did not press the issue. It was not the time. _Maybe later, in private..._ Shepard got up and walked away, scouting, after her last statement to Liara, not wanting to talk about the nagging headache that was slowly driving her crazy. Her short walk actually paid dividends when she located a section of collapsed floor that provided access to the basement and a way around the barrier blocking entrance to the main building. Given no alternative, the team dropped into the hole.

The basement was wet, with standing water and rubble laying everywhere, but there was a door on the far side that seemed easy enough to get to...until someone shot Shepard. It was just a pistol shot that hardly even rippled her barrier. "You're not Geth!" The shooter was a young woman, looking scared to death.

Shepard roared, "God damn it! Good way to get yourself killed! What the hell you doing?"

The woman trembled, dropping her pistol, squeaking, "Hiding from the Geth?"

"Of all the stupid things..." Shepard grabbed up the pistol and handed it Liara. "You are so not getting that back. Ever! So don't ask. Now, who the hell are you?

“Lizbeth Baynham,” said the woman, rather contritely.

“You’re Juliana Baynham’s daughter?”

“That’s right. You talked to her? Mom’s alive?” Lizbeth noticeably brightened.

Shepard frowned. “She and some of the others made it to the midpoint of the skyway. They’re hiding out there, safe from the Geth for the moment.”

“Are you here to rescue me?”

“No, we're here to kill Geth, and to figure out why they’re attacking this hell hole in the first place.”

She hesitated, and then resolutely continued. “I think I know. They’re after the Thorian.”

“The what?”

“The Thorian,” Baynham repeated. “It’s a native plant life-form. I don’t know much, other than the front office has been excited about it for weeks, ever since it was discovered.”

“What’s special about it?” demanded Shepard.

“I’m not sure, but rumor in the labs was that it has some kind of mind-controlling properties.”

“Of course,” Liara interrupted. “Shepard, that could explain the entire colony's odd behavior!”

Shepard nodded. “Ms. Baynham, what else can you tell us about the Thorian? Where is it?”

“I never saw it, or any of the lab reports. I only know what I heard through the rumor mill.”

Shepard squeezed her eyes closed and shook her head. “Something still doesn’t make sense. Saren's gone, but the Geth are still here. Why is that if his only goal was to obtain this Thorian life-form?”

Liara agreed, “You’re right. We need to press forward if we are going to solve this mystery. Ms. Baynham, can you stay safe until we get the barrier curtains down?”

The girl looked haunted. “I suppose. I lasted this long. You will come back for me, right?”

Shepard glared, but said nothing, so Liara ignored her and promised Lizbeth they would return.

"Oh, here! It's my pass. It should open any doors and info terminals you come across!"

Shepard grudgingly thanked her and went through the next door, finding a stairwell that climbed back into the main facility, on the far side of the barrier curtain. Near the top of the stairs, Shepard stopped suddenly and held up her fist. The team could hear a voice, an irritated Krogan, somewhere above. "Stupid machine!"

Shepard glanced at Wrex, jerked her thumb up the steps and quietly said, "Show's on, big man!"

Wrex grinned. "About time, Shepard. I was starting to get bored." He pulled out his shotgun and literally charged up the steps, with Shepard and Liara quickly falling in behind. As Wrex crested the top of the steps, a warp screamed by his head and collided with the wall. "That's your only freebie, you worthless pyjak!" The battle began in earnest, and ended very quickly with Liara flipping out a singularity, suspending the Krogan helplessly in the air. Wrex blasted him at close range with his shotgun, and the battle over almost before it began. "Hrrummf. Weak. That thing shouldn't call himself Krogan."

As Shepard approached, the terminal started speaking. "Hello, Dr Baynham." After a brief question and answer period about the Thorian, also referred to as Species 37, the story was out. Species 37 was a sentient plant that released spores with mind-control properties, which infected anyone who came in contact with them. Over an estimated week-long period, there was sufficient exposure for the compromised colonist to come under the Thorian's control. Species 37 then used the colonist as a thrall, doing its bidding; providing whatever service the Thorian desired. Worse yet, Lizbeth Baynham and Ethan Jeong both knew about the experiments, and willingly let every single colonist become unwittingly exposed.


	10. Lies and Confessions

After finding out the ExoGeni folks actually knew what was going, Shepard was livid and positively growled, "God damn it! More fucking lies! That's the real reason why Jeong didn't want to move to Zhu's Hope! He knew they'd be exposed to the damn spores!"

Liara theorized. "I'm sure that's what Saren wanted. It's a plant. He certainly would have collected spores, and for all we know, he may have taken cuttings to grow more of them."

Shepard immediately keyed her radio in an attempt to warn the Normandy, and got nothing but static; the barrier curtain was an electronic, as well as physical, barrier. "Son of a bitch! Alright, we needed to get the barriers down anyway, let's get it done!" The battle to get out of ExoGeni was just as bad as the one getting in. The new twist was that the barriers were actually powered by a Geth dropship, hanging on the side of the building with huge claw-like grappling devices; the only way to cut the barriers and get out of the building was to dislodge the ship. The team hunted high and low, through multiple rooms over several floors of the building before finding the control room. The Geth were dug in and a pitched battle ensued. It was soon obvious the Geth were well coordinated, so even though the team hadn't seen it yet, there was a Prime somewhere in the room guiding their actions.

Shepard and Liara started working in tandem, with singularities and warps, quickly dropping shields and leaving the Geth troopers vulnerable to Wrex and his shotgun, or the occasional second warp. Once the Geth forces were reduced by some measure, the Prime got desperate and came out to play. Once it revealed itself, the battle was over relatively quickly. It was not designed to counter three relatively powerful biotics. Its shields fell quickly, and then the combined conventional firepower easily terminated the engagement. Once in the room, Shepard found and examined the control panel there. The room was actually a small shuttle bay, and the panel controlled the power settings on the external door. After a bit of experimentation, the heavy steel door overloaded and slammed shut, shearing off the grappling device. Without the support, the Geth dropship slowly lost its grip on the side of the building and tumbled, crashing to the planet's surface. The Geth, and the power to the barriers, were gone.

“. . . come on, Commander, you’ve got to be out there. Normandy calling Commander Shepard. Come in please.”

“Shepard. Go, Normandy.”

“Commander! Damn, am I ever glad to hear your voice. We’re under lockdown here. The colonists have gone wild. They’re trying to break into the ship.”

“What happened? Kaidan there?”

“I’m here, Commander,” said Kaidan. “Everyone’s fine, we all pulled back as per your orders the moment we saw the colonists starting to behave strangely. By the time they had gone into full attack mode we had already locked the ship down.”

“Good job. Exactly when did this happen?”

“Must have been a little under two hours ago. We’ve been trying to raise you ever since. Are you okay?”

“We’re fine for now. Follow your orders. Do not under any circumstances let any of the colonists on board. While you’re at it, seal the life support systems and break the umbilical connection.”

“Sir? Should we be ready to take off?”

“Not yet. Just make sure you’re breathing canned air. Get the crew busy running decontamination drills on anything that’s been exposed to the Feros atmosphere. I’ll explain later. Right now we’re on our way back to you. I’ll call if I have any more news.”

“Aye-aye, Commander. Normandy out.”

Shepard literally stormed back to Lizbeth Baynham's position. She roared, "You knew! And you didn't tell us!"

She looked down, ashamed, "Yes, I knew! I was going to report them, but they threatened to take me to the Thorian! To enthrall me! If that happened, I knew the truth would never get out. I had finally had enough and was getting ready to call in Colonial Affairs, ask them to come and mount an investigation, when the alarms sounded. I stayed behind to send the message, which is why I missed the evacuation. But I was too late. The power went out before I could transmit, and I got stuck here with the Geth for over a week.”

When Shepard spit out, "'I'm leaving your ass here! The Mako only holds three. If your mother still wants you after I tell her what you've done, she can come get you herself!"

Liara had to object.   "Commander! That's not like you! We can make room in the Mako!" Shepard glared at Liara, whose eyes softened, and she pleaded, beseechingly, "Please, Shepard! We can't' leave her!"

Shepard grumbled. "If you want her in your lap, fine, but if she gets in the way I'll personally throw her ass off the Skyway." Lizbeth almost looked like she'd rather take her chances with the Geth, but she squeezed in the Mako, quiet as a mouse, and they proceeded back to the middle building and the refugees. As the team approached, they heard Jeong, shouting. Shepard signaled everyone into cover, and they watched events unfold.

“Everybody be quiet! Just let me think!”

Juliana Baynham retorted, “You can’t get away with this, Jeong. These are human beings you’re talking about writing off!”

“Somebody get her out of here!”

A security guard moved forward and took hold of Juliana. At this, Lizbeth leaped out of cover. “Get your hands off her, you sons of bitches!”

Jeong whirled, waving a pistol in the air. “All right, all of you come out where I can see you!”

Shepard walked out into the open, glaring at both Lizbeth and Jeong.

“Shepard. Damn it, I knew it was too much to hope that the Geth would kill all of you. I found some interesting things about you in the ExoGeni database. I know what you did on Elysium, but your heroics aren’t needed here.”

Shepard continued to glare. “Seriously, Jeong, you want to go down this road with a Council Spectre?”

“You don’t understand. It’s not that easy.” Jeong made a nervous gesture, as if he couldn’t decide what to do with his hands. “Communications are back up. I was able to report to ExoGeni corporate. They want this place purged.”

“That’s not going to happen,” Shepard warned. “These are human beings. Your corporation can’t just use them, throw them away, and expect to get away with it.”

“There’s something here far more valuable than a few colonists!” said Jeong.

“Bullshit. The Thorian is not worth the lives of all these innocent people.”

“Damn it,” swore Jeong. “How much do you know?”

“The whole story, I’m afraid.”

“Wait a minute,” interjected Juliana. “What’s the Thorian?”

“It’s a telepathic life-form living under Zhu’s Hope,” explained Lizbeth. “It took over the minds of the colonists. ExoGeni knew all along, and they've been studying the effects”

“You knew about it?” demanded Juliana.

Lizbeth only hung her head in silent shame.

Juliana turned on Jeong. “You won’t get away with this.”

“So you keep saying, but nobody is going to miss a few colonists.”

“Jeong, you’re missing the bigger picture,” said Shepard, her tone of voice completely changed as she leveled her shotgun at the center of Jeong's chest. "You may want to rethink your position. I am not letting you kill colonists for some corporate bullshit."

Liara just knew this was not going to end well. Shepard had been on edge since the first time she saw her today, and her mood had continuously deteriorated throughout the day. Liara did the only thing she could think of...she trapped Jeong in a stasis field.

When the flash of blue power ripped by Shepard, she almost pulled the trigger of her shotgun out of reflex. Jeong was very lucky she did not. Liara quickly stepped around, pried Jeong's pistol from his frozen grip, and handed it to Juliana. She then pointedly scowled at the few security guards in the room. "Do any of you have a problem with the change of leadership you just witnessed?" When none protested, she stepped back and stood at Shepard's side. Samantha seemed to shake herself. _Hell, I almost just killed that man, just for being a corporate lackey..._ and she slowly stowed her shotgun in the weapons clips on her back. A look of consternation flashed quickly cross her face before she schooled her expression.

Liara exhaled softly in relief as Shepard stowed her weapon _. I think she just found some grounding again... I hope! What is going on?_

Shepard interrupted Liara's contemplations. "Ok, let's load up and go find us a Thorian."

Liara questioned, "Shepard, what about the colonists? They aren't going to let us get anywhere close to that thing..."

Juliana and Lizbeth Baynham approached us. “Commander? We might have an idea. From what Lizbeth tells me, the Thorian exerts its control by infiltrating the human nervous system with its spores. Maybe we can counteract the effect temporarily by administering tetraclopine.”

Shepard frowned. “What’s that?”

Lizbeth broke in to explain. “It’s a compound we use in the grow-labs, as part of our standard insecticide. It acts as a neuromuscular degenerator. Against the Thorian-affected humans it should have an anesthetic effect, knocking them out and suspending the effect of the Thorian’s spores for a brief period.”

Shepard stared. “Are you really suggesting that I release clouds of nerve gas in the colony?”

“Not at all,” Juliana protested. “In the concentrations we’re suggesting you use, the compound should be completely harmless in the long run. It might help you incapacitate the colonists without using lethal force against them.”

"I guess we could adapt our grenades to disperse this tetra-whatever. Like an old-fashioned gas grenade. I’ll at least try it. How much of this chemical do you have on hand?”

“Not much,” Juliana admitted. “I’ll work with you to adapt the grenades.”

\-------------------------------

The team once again found themselves back in the Mako, this time their modified gas grenades they weren't even sure would work. Shepard seemed a bit more herself when she got behind the wheel, back in familiar territory. For once, Liara did not complain about her driving. When they finally rolled up to the garage, the door would not open. The team was force to abandon the Mako and approach on foot. An odd figure sat off to the side, unnoticed until it started to rise. It almost looked like a husk, except it was purely organic, no tubes and cables. As it approached, Liara's scientific curiosity got the better of her and she stood, entranced, as it got closer. "It seems to be made up entirely of plant fibers and tendrils. Perhaps the Thorian is creating its own proxies, simply imitating human shape?"

Shepard took a step forward and started to issue a warning, "Liara..." The thing suddenly lunged toward Liara, opening its mouth and spewing... something.... that Shepard could only interpret as the Thorian spores the info terminal spoke of. Liara gagged, and released a shockwave, throwing everything away from herself in a strong blast. The previously stubborn door suddenly slammed open and almost two dozen more of the Thorian creatures poured out of the garage. All three biotics lit up with singularities and warps, slowly backing up and using controlled weapons fire to keep sufficient distance from the creatures while their biotics recharged. That pattern repeated, until there were no more creatures to kill. As the last one fell, Shepard wheeled on Liara, concern for the Asari temporarily overriding any feelings of rejection and confusion from the night before. "Liara! You alright?"

"Honestly, no, I am not. I can smell whatever that was right through the seals of my armor, which must mean they are compromised. Goddess, what a stench! I strongly recommend we don't let any get close enough to do that again!"

"Roger that! Hopefully we won't run into any more, and it won't be an issue. I want to send you back to the Normandy to get the seals replaced, but seeing as they are in lockdown, it's not an option...so, we just need to be quick. Alright... time to see if we can get in."

The minute the team walked through the door, the colonists started shooting, and the team was forced to duck back outside. The inside of the garage was a broad expanse of nothing; no cover to be seen, no way to hide the approach to the colony. Shepard looked pensive for a moment, her earlier frustration returning. "I got this..." Before Wrex or Liara could ask, Shepard activated her tech armor, pulled up a barrier on top of that, stepped into the garage and simply charged the colonists, bobbing and weaving, closing the gap between herself and the colonists as fast as she could.

Her barrier sparked and shimmered, threatening to go down. Wrex yelled "Stasis!" as he tossed. Snapped out of her immobilizing shock at the insanity of Shepard's tactics, Liara quickly followed suit.

Shepard closed the gap, and softly lobbed the grenade into the middle of the colonists. When it went off, all the colonists dropped like rocks. Shepard checked them quickly and stood up. "They're still breathing. We're done here, let's move on."

Wrex started chuckling, and then let out a full up roar of laughter, and shouted..."Oooohhh, I like you Shepard! Give me a grenade! I get to do the next one!" Liara was just aghast. And so, Shepard and Wrex took turns lobbing grenades, while Liara, and whoever's turn it wasn't, tossed out stasis fields just to drop them again as soon as the grenade was lobbed. They ran into more of the Thorian husks, simply falling back to draw them safely away from the colonists before killing them. The separation plan worked well to prevent accidental collateral damage and when they finally made it to the center of the colony, the only colonist left was Fai Dan.

“I tried to fight it,” he told us.  “It gets in your head. You can’t imagine the pain. I was supposed to be their leader. These people trusted me.”

Shepard stared at Fai Dan, backing away slowly.

The colonist continued forward, gesturing with his pistol. “It wants me to stop you . . . but I won’t.”

“Oh, to hell with this,” Shepard muttered. She threw her last gas grenade, and just like the rest, Fai Dan gasped and went down

Shepard shook her head. “Nobody gets left for that thing to __use."  Even an annoying fuck like Fai Dan.__

\-------------------------------

Shepard got on the comm. "Normandy, colonials are down. Dispatch Team 2 to the colony ASAP, full hard suits."

Kaidan's voice responded, "Roger that ma'am, be there in five."

When the second team rolled in, the whole group descended down into the tunnels under Zhu's Hope. The air got warmer and more humid the farther they descended, to the point where it started to feel... oppressive. The level of banter between the crewmates decreased with the elevation. The team finally reached the bottom of the stairwell, and Shepard, of course in the lead, stopped dead in her tracks. "That's...large."

Garrus looked up and coughed, "I think we're going to need bigger guns." The Thorian occupied a central chamber, which rose though the many stories of the stairs the team just descended. It was positively huge.

Kaidan asked, "How the hell are we even supposed to kill that?"

Of course Wrex laughed. "If I can kill a Thresher Maw, we can certainly kill a plant!"

A pod-like section attached to the Thorian started a convulsive, heaving motion, and the team backed away in alarm. Suddenly, the plant...birthed?...a being that was an Asari?

"Shiala?" came Liara's shocked question.

Shepard was immediately following up. "You know her?"

"This looks like Shiala, one of my mother’s acolytes, as well as a childhood friend of mine.”

“Liara, I don’t think that’s really an Asari,” said Kaidan.

“Of course not. It must be another of the Thorian’s proxies. Still, the resemblance to Shiala is quite remarkable.”

Then the Shiala-thing decided to speak. “Invaders! Your every step is a transgression. A thousand feelers appraise you as _meat,_ fit only to dig or to decompose. I speak for the Old Growth, as I did for Saren. You stand within and before the Thorian. It commands that you be in awe! Saren sought knowledge of those who are gone. The Old Growth listened to flesh for the first time in the Long Cycle. Trades were made.”

“Would you be willing to trade with us as well?” asked Shepard. “I need the same knowledge that Saren took.”

 _“_ Never _._ After Saren departed, his Cold Ones came and sought the destruction of the Old Growth. They began killing the flesh meant to tend the next cycle. Flesh fairly given! Falsehood and betrayal!”

Shepard sighed. “Yes, Saren has a habit of doing that.”

“The Old Growth sees the air you push as lies! There will be no more trades with flesh! No more will the Old Growth listen to those that scurry and nibble and betray. Your lives may be short, but they have already gone on too long. Your flesh will feed the ground and the new growth!”

With that, the Shiala-thing made a commanding gesture and ignited with blue light. A telekinetic bolt flew out, hurling Shepard backward against a stone column... then more of those organic husk like things flooded onto the portico from both sides. Kaidan and Liara, having become accustomed to working together, instantly teamed up and took on the Shiala-thing. Garrus and Ashley started blasting away with their assault rifles, and Wrex simply charged, stomped, and blew things up with warps and his shotgun. He slapped one of the husk things away from Shepard, and then picked her up by an equipment clip on the back of hard-suit. They all laughed at it later, because it had the look of someone picking up an impudent varren pup by the scruff of its neck. Shepard grunted a "Thanks!" and the battle was on. The Kaidan-Liara team finally took the Shiala thing out of the picture, and without its help, the husks seemed less organized and much easier to kill.

Ashley cried out, "Hey, Shepard! Check this out...it looks like an anchor for one of the support cables on this thing. What do you think?"

Shepard looked at it, looked back at Ashley and flashed her a wicked smile. "Only one way to find out..." They both started firing together. The node exploded, the end of the cable went whipping through the air and the Thorian shuddered and ... shrieked! Shepard looked around at all her teammates. "Guess we know what we've got to do!"

The same sequence of events repeated itself over and over. The Thorian popped out a Shiala-thing, droves of organic husks ran to assist. The Normandy crew killed the Shiala-thing, polished off the organic husks, and finally worked their way to the next wall anchor and destroyed it. Continually working upwards, the crew finally destroyed one last node and the Thorian finally became too heavy to support itself on what cables remained. It sheared from the walls and fell, crashing downward, to the bottom of the well we had ascended over the last hour of constant fighting. Shepard stood on the edge of the chasm, looking down, and slowly shipped her weapon onto one of her suit hard points. "Shit."

She slowly turned and started walking away when Ashley, forever the observer, pointed to a spot along the wall and said, "What the hell is that?"

A series of oblong pods were stuck to the wall, and while most were hanging limply, one was rippling with motion, eventually tearing open and dumping its content onto the floor. It was another Shiala-thing... or not. Liara was the first to comprehend what, or who, actually, was in front of them. She gasped, "Shiala!" and ran to her childhood friend, tearing at the tendrils and remains of the sack that had imprisoned her. Shiala seemed in a daze, slowly taking in what was happening around her, and she finally locked onto the face of the person who was helping her.

"Liara?" Shiala was very confused, and had difficulty standing. Liara wrapped Shiala in her arms and held her tight, until Shiala found her balance and seemed able to stand on her own. As Liara released her, Shiala looked around and said "Thank you, all of you. Thank you for my freedom."   She then began her long of her service to the Matriarch, ending up allied to Saren, and eventually sacrificed to the Thorian when Saren needed her to communicate with the Thorian. He bartered her life away for access to something he called the Cipher.

Shepard had to ask..."I thought Saren was after the Conduit? What's the Cipher got to do with it?"

Shiala explained, "The beacon on Eden Prime gave you visions . . . but the visions are confusing and unclear.”

Shepard nodded. “I’ll say. I’ve had no luck making sense of them.”

“Neither did Saren, until he came here. The visions were meant for a Prothean mind. To truly comprehend them, you must be capable of thinking like a Prothean. You must understand their language, their culture, their history, everything that made them distinctive and unique. The Thorian had that knowledge. When the Protheans lived on Feros, it watched and studied them. It made some of them its thralls, just as it made me and the humans above its thralls. When they died, it consumed them. They became a part of it. That knowledge is the Cipher.”

“So if he could learn to think like a Prothean, he would be able to understand the vision.”

“That is correct,” said Shiala. “The Cipher gave him the ability to fathom the vision in its entirety. It was not enough to find the Conduit, but it was an enormous step forward. Saren is very close to attaining his goals.”

“Then I need the Cipher too. How do I get it, now that the Thorian is gone?”

Shiala smiled. “There is a way. I retain the knowledge from my own melding with the Thorian. If I were to join my mind with yours . . .”

Shiala had always been very sensitive to the moods of others, and she noticed Liara's reaction to the offer of joining. “Liara, is something wrong?”

Liara glanced at Shepard, and whispered, “No. Nothing at all.”

Shiala lowered her voice, so that no one but the three of them would hear. “Liara? Are you involved with this human?”

Shepard glanced at Liara, beginning to understand, but said nothing. Liara had made her position clear. _Too damn distracting, right?_

Liara sighed, feeling the resentment ebb away, leaving only bitter disappointment at lost opportunity in its wake. “Yes, Shiala. Commander Shepard and I ...are exploring the possibilities. She and I have not joined as yet.”

“I understand. Commander, I don’t wish to intrude on your relationship with Liara, but I truly see no other way. The Cipher cannot be taught, only experienced.”

Shepard was a bit confused, “Can you give us a minute?”

Shiala nodded and moved gracefully away, going to speak to the others.

Shepard made direct eye contact and purposely used the pet name she had adopted. “Blue.”

Liara shook her head angrily. “Don’t say it. I know what you have to do. I have no right to be angry, or jealous. It is I who insisted on the need to put my personal feelings aside for the sake of the mission.”

For the second time, Samantha placed a gentle hand under the Asari's chin, tipping Liara's face up so she could look into her eyes. "Liara, you told me about the many types of melds. I have no intention of bonding with Shiala. This information exchange..." Shepard faltered and started over. "...'We' are not as settled as you made me believe last night. My feelings for you haven't changed. I'll wait. I haven't changed my mind on that. I promise." Shepard leaned forward and placed a familiar kiss gently on her forehead, whispering softly, “Liara. You are wonderful, and I'm pretty sure I'm falling in love with you.”

Liara's breath caught and she felt an inappropriate pang in her core. It was the first time Shepard gave any indication as to the true depth of her feelings and Liara's eyes glistened with remorse, realizing she had hurt Samantha with her uncertainty. “Shepard. I know this has to happen. I just . . . I wanted it to be me.”

"I know. Have faith...this won't change anything between us. I just have one question, but it's important. You know Shiala. Do. you. trust. her?"

Liara paused, and then whispered, "Yes, Shepard, I do." A single tear escaped down the Asari's cheek. Shepard's thumb wiped the tear away and she released her hold on Liara's chin. Shepard turned to Shiala and resolutely stated, "I'm ready."

Receiving the cipher was almost as taxing as getting hit by the beacon, minus the explosion. The images in Samantha's head were floating in and out of focus and she was having a hard time holding on to any particular train of thought. When she and Shiala separated, Sam discovered she was down on her knees, shaking and sweating like she had been gripped by some malevolent fever. She stood up, weakly, and shook her head. The crew looked on, concern etched in their faces, and Liara gave voice to the question they were all thinking. "Shepard, are you alright?"

"Yeah, my head just needs time to sort all the info now, and translate it into something I can understand. I'll be fine. We just need to get out of here and back to the Normandy. I feel like I could sleep for a week." They all retreated from the Thorian pit, and after brief discussions with the colonists, were soon on their way. Shepard felt her headache growing with every step, and by the time they reached the Normandy she was practically radiating misery.

As soon as the decontamination protocol finished and the airlock opened onto the ship, Shepard barked, "Joker, Citadel, on the double!" Liara had never seen the commander so....agitated. She quickly stowed her gear and hurriedly followed behind. Shepard sensed her following and wheeled around, pointing directly at her, leaving no room for argument. "You, straight to the med bay. Have Doc Chakwas check you over and make sure there's no risk of contamination or complications from those damn spores. Then, make sure all the damaged seals in your suit are replaced so your armor is ready for the next mission." Liara was well aware of Shepard's dark mood and wanted to speak to her about it, but as she hesitated, readying her retort, Shepard cut off any chance of reply. Scowling, the commander simply ordered, "Now, T'Soni," and turned and walked away.


	11. Coming Clean

Worried about the commander, Liara wasted no time getting to the med bay. The faster she completed her assigned 'tasks,' the faster she could get back to Shepard. Karin was somewhat surprised by the apparent urgency in Liara's demeanor, as the normally reserved Asari practically blasted into the room. "Liara! What's wrong?" Karin stood and moved quickly to her side, her practiced medical eye detecting nothing obviously amiss.

"I am sorry, Karin... nothing important, just in a bit of a hurry." Liara explained about the Thorian and the spores potentially leaking through her suit seals. While Karin completed her exam, she mentally noted to evaluate every member of the ground team, just to ensure no one suffered exposure... While the ship's decontamination processing would remove any external contaminants, it would not prevent inhalation of such if there was a potential for a seal breach, as in Liara's case.

Karin's pronouncement that she was perfectly fit did not seem to ease Liara in the slightest. "So, Liara...the potential seal breach is a non issue, yet I can tell something still concerns you. Want to talk about whatever is worrying you?"

"No..." Liara hesitated, looking at the floor. "Yes, I do, but I am not sure it is my place to do so, Karin." Liara looks back up, her eyes silently pleading for Karin's understanding.

"So, my guess is it must involve someone else, and not be a personal issue...and knowing you, it most likely involves the commander." Liara looked startled by Karin's observation. "Oh come now, Liara! You surely don't believe that I could have possibly failed to notice the way you two look at one another. There is an obvious concern for each other's wellbeing, though I will not presume to speculate at how deep that concern may go. However, I will say that I have noticed you exert a certain....calming effect... on the commander. You are good for her." Karin smiled and finished, "And, however frustrating a patient she may be to me, the Commander is a good person. Whatever your relationship may be, you should know that as your friend, I approve."

At this, Liara blushed furiously. "To be honest, Karin, I am not really sure what our relationship is...the commander is..." Liara shrugged, "the commander! She can be horribly domineering and sometimes unforgiving. She seems a force of nature, at times wild and uncontrollable... yet, on other occasions she is kind and patient, and I simply do not understand how I can possibly feel the way I do after such a short period. Sometimes I can hardly help myself. I am relatively young, and have never experienced anything like this. I am really very unsure how to approach the whole thing...and then there is the mission!" Liara suddenly started, "Goddess! See what I mean? I had no intention of speaking of this... it is not what is causing my current state!"

Karin chuckled, "No worries, Liara. You have my utmost confidentiality. This conversation shall never leave this room." Karin then frowned, continuing, "But it does beg the question... what about the commander is causing your current distress?" Liara answered the only way she knew how...with the truth...starting with Ashley's confrontation with the Petty Officer, through Shepard's irritated entry to the mess at lunchtime, continuing to the present, and how her mood and edginess had continued to get worse as time progressed, to the point when Liara had felt the need... no, absolute necessity... to step in before Shepard killed Ethan Jeong.

Karin was shocked, concern etched in her face, realizing just how much out of character that was for the Samantha Shepard she knew. "Liara, you must speak with her. I would do so, but I feel it would make Shepard not trust either of us at this point. That will not do. She must trust you explicitly, to ensure she will talk with you freely. I'm afraid we must go down this path for now, at least until we find out what is troubling her. There will be a time in the future for her to learn the existence of this conversation, but not until she is...more receptive to assistance in her current situation." Liara nodded in understanding, hoping she did not screw this up and totally destroy any prospect of a future with the woman, she was now realizing, she had come to both respect and love.

\-------------------------------

Sam gave a sharp rap to the panel that opens the door to her room and stalked in, not really sure what to do. Her head felt like it was ready to explode, but she didn't feel like having to deal with Dr Chakwas' condescending attitude right now. She realized that was an unfair assessment. Karin was a good friend, and truly cared about the wellbeing of the Normandy crew. What Sam really felt, was Karin didn't deserve 'Commander Shepard's' foul mood right now. No one did, that's why she retreated to her cabin. Her indecision on what to do next was solved by pure habit. She stripped off her armor and threw it into the corner, grabbed some sweats, and plopped down in her desk chair, thinking to write up the Feros report. _God, I am so damned tired!_

Instead of turning on her terminal, Sam put her head down, pushing her chair back far enough so just her forehead lay on the cool metal surface of the desk. She tucked her hair up behind her ears on both sides of her head and pressed her thumbs into her temples, sweating, and her head swimming with vertigo. Sam had no idea how much time had passed when she heard her door chime...she ignored it. A few moments later, it chimed again and Sam just sat there, hoping whoever it was would go away. That hope was dashed when she heard the door slide open, followed quickly by the tentative voice of Liara T'Soni. "Commander?"

Sam sighed and sat up, trying to put on a brave face as Liara hesitantly stepped into the room. Quietly, Samantha asked, "What is it, Liara?"

"I apologize if I am disturbing you but the crew is worried..." _As am I_. "Are you feeling alright?"

Shepard realized Liara wasn't going to give up, so she took a deep breath and exhaled softly, trying to calm her frazzled nerves and aching head _. I will not snap at Liara, I will NOT snap at Liara...._ "Well, if we're going to chat, you may as well come in and sit down, so I don't have to yell across the room."

As Liara moved into the room and got a good look at Shepard, she inhaled sharply, making the commander wonder just how bad she looked, to elicit a response like that.

"Samantha! _Goddess!_ You look...horribly pale. Why have you not gone to see Karin? It this all from the Cipher?"

Samantha grimaced while she rolled her head around, trying to release some of the tension in her neck.   _Oh hell, they say confession is good for the soul, right?_ "No, it's not all from the cipher. I've basically had a constant headache since the beacon and I've not been sleeping well.

Liara's eyes narrowed, a hint of frustration and anger in her voice, "Not sleeping well since when? How long, Shepard?"

"Like I said, since the beacon. The nightmare I had during my semi-comatose state recurs almost nightly. I wake up in a sweat, and frequently can't get back to sleep. I've been getting maybe three hours a night."

It was obvious Liara was upset. She closed her eyes and took in a deep breath and paused before she responded, "And you haven't spoken to Karin about it. You haven't spoken to anyone about it, have you?" The last was more of a concerned accusation than a question.

"I... I can't tell Karin..." "If I did, she'd just give me sleeping pills, or come up with something even more drastic... We've got too much going on for me to be doped up and suffering a sleeping aid hangover that takes away my edge."

Liara, clearly frustrated, blurted out, "Oh yes, and sleep deprivation certainly has no such effect on performance, now, does it! Samantha, sometimes you can be most stubborn... and foolish!"

Shepard's eyes narrowed. "Tread lightly, T'Soni. You're walking awfully close to that fine line between friendship and insubordination..."

Liara immediately backed off, speaking more softly as she continued. "I am sorry, Samantha. I am just very concerned about you right now...I must say I am worried that the addition of the cipher is...uh... I don't know how to phrase this so you do not believe I am speaking condescendingly....because that is not my intention!"

Samantha sighed. "Just spit it out Liara. I've told you one of the things I like about you is your unadulterated truths. Just say it; I'll try to take it at face value."

"Very well, I will be blunt. I have told you before, anyone who has ever attempted direct interaction with a beacon has been left either mentally incompetent or worse, dead. My concern is that with the addition of the cipher, your mind is now attempting to capture and understand all the data from the beacon... and it may actually be exceeding the limit of your brain's processing capability. I am afraid for your continuing mental soundness, Shepard. I think you are to the point where you must let me help you, or we risk losing you to madness...." Liara's voice became extremely soft and pleading. "Please, Samantha, let me help you."

Sam sat back in her chair and closed her eyes, considering what Liara just said. No doubt the headaches had continued to get worse, and if she was honest with herself, she couldn't attribute it solely to the nightmares and resultant lack of sleep. Over the years, through all her nightmares of tactics gone wrong and multiple sleepless nights over days of continuous battle, she had never experienced anything like this. The current circumstances were unique. As much as she hated it, she had to recognize the truth that may lie behind Liara's words...and if she accepted any of it as truth, she also had to accept that just maybe this was something she couldn't fix on her own.

"So, Liara," Samantha began, slowly opening her eyes and looking directly at the Asari seated before her. "How exactly do you propose to help me?"

 _Thank the Goddess!_ Liara sighed in relief. "I am thinking to meld with you, Shepard. An exchange meld, nothing deeper. I am hoping your knowledge of the cipher and my expertise on the Protheans, combined with the interaction between two persons, instead of you attempting to process all the information alone, will be sufficient to relieve the stress, and allow us to basically convert the data into a form our minds are able to recognize as organic knowledge, instead of a foreign object forcibly interjected into your consciousness."

"And you are confident this will work?" Samantha seemed hesitant. "The meld with Shiala hit me like a ton of bricks, and it just seemed to exacerbate the issue even more..."

Liara looked directly into Shepard's eyes, trying to convey some semblance of assurance and trust. "No, I would not say... confident...is necessarily the correct word, because I have never tried this...deciphering beacon knowledge...before. However, the circumstances are different... Shiala was passing yet more information to you, where this will be more of a sorting, a cataloguing and organizing of data already there, an attempt to make sense of it, to reduce its complexity. That... reduction... is our goal. Honestly, I cannot say for certain it will work, but I see little choice. Also, Asari are trained from birth for the exchange of knowledge though melding, and how to shield ourselves from unwanted intrusion, a form of mental discipline that is required to protect ourselves. You have some of that disciple through your biotic training, but I hope I can help you improve your skills, to improve your mental barriers to better shield yourself, both from outside influences as well as from within."

Samantha listened carefully as Liara explained how this meld would be slightly different from her exchange with Shiala. Sam would have to be an active participant, selecting those memories from the beacon she wanted Liara to see. Liara warned her that if Sam thought it, Liara would see it through the meld, so for privacy, Sam needed to stay focused on the task at hand; focus solely on the beacon, until she could learn barrier control. Once Samantha resigned herself to the limitations and inherent risks of the exchange, she and Liara joined hands, and Liara initiated the meld.

{ _Samantha, focus on the beacon images. Show me_ } Liara felt a barrier pressing against her mind and she could see nothing from Shepard. { _Perhaps you are better at barriers than I gave you credit for..._ } She did not want to force herself into Samantha's consciousness, even to just get the flow of information started. She needed Samantha to start the exchange voluntarily. { _Samantha, you have to trust me...relax, and...trust me._ } Liara felt Sam take a deep breath and slow her heart rate. As she relaxed, she began to tentatively open her mind to Liara. { _That's good. Breath, relax, trust me. I will take no more than you give._ }

{ _This is strange...can you actually 'hear' me?_ } More than hearing, Samantha actually 'felt' Liara laugh; it was an odd sensation, but somehow comforting. { _Oh, now, that's just weird!_ }

{ _Yes, Commander, I can actually hear you. That is the point, after all._ } Sam could actually feel the smile in Liara's voice, and she smiled in response. { _See, not so scary after all, is it, Commander?_ }

Samantha grinned. { _Liara, you're in my head... I'm pretty sure you can call me Samantha in here..._ } Liara laughed again, and Sam realized the sound was more...vibrant...through the meld, because she couldn't just hear it, she could honestly feel it, like it was rumbling from her own chest, not some outside source. It added another dimension to the allure that was Liara. Samantha felt Liara...get warm?...blush?

{ _Careful, Samantha... we are linked. Unshielded thoughts will pass freely between us, and I forget you are new to this...Your thoughts are my thoughts... I was unprepared for your...uncensored emotions, and such things are... very... distracting..._ }

Shepard unintentionally, yet instinctively, clamped down on her thoughts and spoke aloud, "crap!" She felt Liara wince heavily.

{ _Ouch! Samantha! Be careful! Withdrawing so abruptly can actually break the link...as well as cause physical pain! That...hurt...a bit. Try to stay relaxed._ } A remorseful Samantha apologized and forced herself to relax again, slowly reopening herself to the link.

{ _We'll work on your barriers at a later time... for now, let's get to the task at hand, shall we? Please, focus on the beacon images._ }   Making herself focus on the beacon was difficult, since she had been working so hard to suppress those images, it was more difficult to get started than she assumed it would be. However, once they started flowing, it was like a dam burst and they came flooding forward, almost faster than she could process what she was seeing. She received encouragement and guidance from Liara. { _Take control, Samantha! You are very strong willed. You can control the rate of flow. Do not let the images dictate to you. You own them. You control them. Force them to slow, to stop...good. Very good. Now, begin again...easy...slower this time, so I can see. Don't just let them flow...show them to me, slowly...ah, much better!_ }

Samantha could feel Liara's presence in her mind, like a reassuring, steadying hand, guiding her to smooth out the image flow. Once the vision played itself through at a rate Liara could assimilate, she asked Samantha to repeat it once more, to make sure she hadn't missed anything, and to let Samantha control the image flow on her own. On the second pass, Liara concentrated solely on the images. Then, before terminating the link, Liara guided her through setting up some protections for herself. Samantha compared it to setting up a bookcase. She packed the Prothean images into a book, closed it, and put it on the shelf. It was there to call upon, remove from the shelf and read at leisure, but she was no longer forced to carry it with her everywhere. Samantha didn't realize the weight of the burden she had been carrying until it was gone. Liara then guided her through a relaxed, gentle withdrawal from contact.

After the link was broken, Liara squeezed her eyes closed, surprised at how tired she felt. "I should have brought an energy drink... I have only exchanged memories with other Asari before this. I had no idea it could be so... taxing... to join with an untrained mind."

Samantha looked surprised. "Really? I feel fine... You do this all the time, why would you be so tired?"

Liara contemplated for a moment, trying to figure out how to best explain it. "Well, I am the one who had to actually maintain the meld, and support you until you learned to navigate. It was made more taxing by your initial lack of control...particularly when you tried to force it closed so abruptly. Think of it as taking a warp hit...even with barriers up, it can still make you stumble."

"Yeah, sorry about that, again... I didn't know. If I had understood that, I would have tried to be more careful."

"I do not think it would have mattered, that is why I did not explain it in advance. It would have just made you more apprehensive about the process and made the initial contact more difficult to establish. Until you get used to the process and can place complete trust in your meld partner, you will continue to react on instinct. It is who you are. Until you can retrain yourself, I do not believe you could change it if you tried." While Liara was speaking, Samantha had retrieved an energy drink and handed it to her. "So, I guess we should continue. I am afraid I do not really have good news." Samantha didn't want to hear that, but ever the consummate professional, urged Liara to continue. "You were correct, it is definitely a warning, but it is incomplete. I fear when the beacon exploded, the remainder of the message was cut off, so we do not have all the information."

Samantha stood, and started pacing. "So, we still need more information to track down Saren, and we have to hope we find info on the Conduit before he does. You sure there's absolutely nothing in the vision we can use?"

"Nothing immediately apparent. Though, I am tired, and once I rest something may stand out to me. That remains to be seen. We can hope." Liara attempted to give her a reassuring smile, but it just let Samantha see how tired she was.

"Alright, Liara, we'll talk about it again tomorrow, after we sleep on it, while we're en route to the Citadel. On a good note, however... I have to tell you, I think my headache is gone. If nothing else, that is certainly a tremendous improvement! I wish I hadn't let Kaidan's reaction dissuade us from doing this the first time you offered." For the first time since Liara had met her, Shepard actually looked embarrassed. "Would have saved everyone a bit of anxiety I think. I know I've been hard to live with lately."

"Do not second guess yourself, Commander. It does not become you. Without the cipher, we may not have been able to understand most of it anyway, and you would have risked the ire and respect of your crew for nothing."

Flashing a grin, Samantha protested, "Thanks, Liara, but if you call me Commander one more time in a private conversation, I'm going to toss you out on your ear."

Liara laughed weakly. "If you have not noticed, Samantha, I do not have protruding ears like you humans, though I do get the gist of your comment. Besides, that would be the least of what I have done to risk your ire..."

Samantha actually laughed, cutting her off. "Liara, you have never done anything to make me angry, disappointed maybe, and concerned for your welfare. You are not a soldier, and I worry when you put yourself in the way of danger that you are not trained to handle."

"Shepard, please, let me finish...you do not know of what I speak, and I feel the need to clear the air...I have been less than truthful with you." A flicker of guilt raced across Liara's face.

That got Samantha's attention and she stopped her pacing directly in front of the Asari, looking straight into her eyes, a hint of anxiety creeping into her voice. "Tell it to me straight, Liara. What are you talking about?"

Liara hung her head, telling the full story of her earlier discussion with Karin, from her early confusion as to the cause of the commander's ill mood, straight through to the harboring of unfamiliar feelings that Liara now possibly defined as love. During the course of her confession, Liara watched a kaleidoscope of emotions cross Samantha's face, but never once did Sam interrupt; she let Liara tell her tale in full. Liara concluded, "I never uttered a false statement to you, but I committed a lie of omission by not telling you the full story behind why I came here tonight. Given my current feelings for you, I could not let it stand if we are to have any future of an honest relationship."

Sam didn't budge, keeping eye contact with Liara, who, to her credit, did not look away, ready to accept whatever judgment Shepard passed upon her. "Liara, I cannot fault you for being concerned for me, and I can wish I never gave you cause for concern, but wishing won't make it true." Sam is the one who dropped her head. "I have to be honest, I can't find fault with what you did. If anything, I feel like I should be apologizing to you for letting it get so out of control to begin with. I am the one who caused this; you have repeatedly asked how I was, and I never told you anything that was going on in my head. Not about the nightmares, not about the severity of the headaches. You're not the only one who omitted pertinent information. I'm sorry too, Liara... truly. Forgive me?"

"Oh, Samantha...we will just need to forgive each other! I guess we were both caught up in events, and I am still somewhat overwhelmed by the strength of what I feel for you, though there is little doubt in my mind anymore as to what these feeling are. I am unsure as to where to go from here, but...I do believe I love you, Samantha Shepard." Sam's heart jumped, and her face lit up with a smile that was echoed in both her own eyes and Liara's. Sam reached down and gently caressed Liara's cheek. Liara reached up and trapped Samantha's hand, closing her eyes and leaning into the caress, just enjoying the moment. She slowly willed her eyes back open and sighed, "However, now is not the time for this discussion. I am extremely tired and I need to sleep." Liara stood as she finished, "I will see you tomor... ohhh..." Liara's hand rose quickly to pinch the bridge of her nose, staggering.

Samantha reacted quickly and caught Liara before she could fall, pulling her close to support her. "Liara! Are you alright?...Liara? Talk to me, damn it!"

Getting no response, a now alarmed Shepard shifted her grip, scooping her up and in a few quick strides, carefully laid Liara down on the bed. She quickly retreated to the bathroom and got a glass of water and a cool cloth, returning to Liara's side and laying the cloth on her forehead. _I don't even know if this is the right thing to do for Asari! Shit!_ Worried, she placed a call to Dr Karin Chakwas and prepared herself for the imminent tongue-lashing she knew would follow. Sam softly stroked a pale blue cheek before her, "Come on, Liara, talk to me... please be alright..." _Damn it, Karin, where are you?_ After a few moments, an eternity in Samantha's eyes, Liara recovered a bit and attempted to rise. Samantha was having none of it, placing a firm but gentle hand on Liara's shoulder, keeping her in place. "You're staying put for now, at least until Karin looks at you. I've already called her and she's on her way. I'm not adding 'letting you get up and walk around in your weakened state' to my transgressions!" Samantha smiled, trying to lighten the mood, but Liara could tell she was concerned.

The door opened, and Dr Chakwas walked in to hear Liara's protest. "I am fine, Samantha, though I suppose maybe I should have actually consumed the energy drink you handed me, instead of setting it on the desk. The meld obviously took more out of me than I realized, and I stood too quickly when I decided it was time for me to go, that's all."

Samantha protested, "Hmmf. Right. Tell it to the Doc! You're still not budging until she looks at you!"

"And seeing as I am here, I will concur with that statement, Commander. And tell me I did not just hear you say 'Meld!' From the top, what have you two been doing to put Liara in this sorry state?" After the full story was recounted, during which time Liara received her second physical of the day, Karin stood back and glared at both of them. "I see no damage...brain activity seems normal and no indicators merit further concern, so I am forced to accept Liara's self-diagnosis. However, I cannot believe that you both thought it such a fine idea to commence an initial meld, both still exhausted from a mission, in an agitated state, and apparently without adult supervision. Have you both taken complete leave of your senses?"

Samantha could see the doc was building toward a full-up lecture. "Oh, come on Doc, look at the bright side. My headache is gone, and I feel better than I have in weeks...You get my normally bright, cheery personality back! Haven't you missed it?" Shepard cast out her best lopsided grin in a hopeful attempt to deflect the storm she knew was coming. Liara didn't have the strength to protest anyway, so just laid back on the bed and accepted the chastisement.

"Do. Not. Even. Go. There, Commander! I am happy your headache is not currently bothering you. However, I am not happy with the fact I didn't know headaches and nightmares were issues to begin with! Do you not think that was relevant information to pass on to your physician? What were you thinking? You of all people should know better! At this particular moment in time, I am loathe to admit that I actually do like you, Commander, but if you let sleep deprivation get you, or someone on your crew killed, I shall never forgive you!" Samantha started to protest, but Karin held up a hand, stopping her. "I am not finished with you yet, Commander. Not a word! You have a responsibility not only to yourself, but to the entire crew of the Normandy. I will never question your ability to command, you are one of the best leaders I have ever had the privilege of working with. The Normandy deserves to have you at your best, and I cannot help but wonder if you had been at the top of your game, perhaps Tali would not have been injured on this last foray on Feros."

With that statement, Dr Chakwas pushed Sam past her breaking point and her face turned red with anger. "That's enough, Karin! I get your point, but you know better! I would never put my crew at risk because of a personal issue! Never!"

Karin did not back down, but responded in a much more gentle voice, "Yes, I do know you better, Samantha, but no one else on this crew has known you since you were eight years old, since working on the SSV Fuji with your mother! You have to establish and maintain their trust as well. I'm sorry I made you angry, but based on what I consider to have been very irresponsible behavior over the last couple of weeks, I felt you needed a strong reminder of that. I apologize if I overstepped." With that, Karin fell silent, waiting for Shepard to make some response. Sam just stared at her for a minute, and then roughly sat down on the bed. Without thinking, Liara reached over and laid a supportive hand on her thigh.

"Shit. I hate it when you are so right I can't even come up with a valid retort. You're a medical doctor, not a psych...sometimes I think you know me too well, Karin." Sam looked up, resignation in her eyes.

Karin actually laughed. "Oh, Commander! Don't be giving me those big puppy dog eyes. You aren't eight anymore...it doesn't fit your tough commander image! Now, you two stay put, I'll be back shortly." With that, Karin abruptly turned and left the commander's room.

Samantha and Liara both watched the doctor's unexpected exit in surprise. Sam, suddenly realizing Liara was gently rubbing her leg, reached down and captured her hand, turning to scrutinize Liara's face. "Hey, you...how are you feeling? Really."

Liara could see the concern etched in Samantha's brow. "I'm fine, truly. Just very, very tired. Too much for one day." Liara's eyes drifted closed with her admission.

Sam's free hand tenderly stroked the Asari's forehead; Liara seemed to purr in contentment, and it made Samantha's chest ache with adoration. "You scared me, more than I ever thought possible."

Liara's eyes opened, looking sad, but she had a gentle smile on her face. "I'm sorry. It was certainly not my intention." Their conversation was interrupted with the return of Karin Chakwas, bearing dinner trays.

"Eat. Relax. Sleep. No work. Neither of you are to leave this room for at least eight hours." Liara protested, "But this is not my room!" Samantha's face lit up with a mischievous grin, which Karin noted. "I said sleep, Commander. You are to monitor each other, making sure the other rests and does not attempt to work. Samantha, you will ensure Liara does not overexert herself, and Liara, you are to be here in case Samantha has another of her nightmares. You will keep each other company, and keep each other honest at the same time. It's either that, or you both will spend the night sleeping in my med bay. Monitor each other, or I monitor you both. Your choice, though I would prefer to not be up all night checking on you."

Liara looked at Shepard, who shrugged her shoulders, grinned and said, "Doctor's orders...I'd rather sleep here..." She glanced at Liara and finished her sentence, "...and didn't I tell you she'd come up with something drastic?" Liara hesitantly agreed, and Karin, satisfied, left them to eat and get some rest.

They sat, sharing the food Karin brought, in quiet companionship. When they were nearly done, Samantha broke the silence. "Um...So...you ok with this, or you want me to sleep on the floor?" Liara froze for a second, not really sure how to respond, and Sam continued, nervous. "I mean, really, all I want to do is sleep, but I can't say the idea of snuggling you close does not appeal to me..."

Liara gave up. "I am not going to make you sleep on the floor; it is _your_ room for Goddess sake. And since Karin has decided to thrust us into this situation, I guess we just need to make the best of it." Liara started to smile. "And I must admit the idea of having you close right now feels... very...comforting."

Her eyes moved away and her smile turned bashful. Samantha took the food trays and placed them on the desk, and carefully returned to the bed. Liara laid back on the pillow, and Sam laid back propped up on one elbow, facing Liara, her other hand reaching out and caressing Liara's soft cheek. Liara's eyes were closed as she whispered softly, "Oh...Shepard...I am so exhausted. Just...please...can you just hold me?" Samantha laid down flat, and Liara rolled to her side and cuddled into the nook of the closest shoulder as Sam engulfed her in her arms.

Sam let out a deep sigh, "This feels...right, Liara." Liara purred softly, in agreement, and both being so tired, they drifted quickly into fitful sleep.


	12. Doctors Orders

Garrus sighed, wishing the Council was not so openly...hostile...toward the first human Spectre. He realized circumstances dictated they promote Shepard to the position before they wanted any human in the Spectre corps, but once they accepted that as a necessity, did they really have to question literally every decision she made? "Councilors, as I told you at the start, Commander Shepard is still in her mandatory medical rest period as prescribed by Dr Chakwas. The remaining two hours of that time have not passed in the seven minutes we have been conversing, so yes, she remains still unavailable to answer questions."

The Turian councilor, Sparatus, was clearly agitated. "We simply must know if she gleaned any pertinent information from the Asari released by the Thorian...this, Shiala, and why Shepard chose to leave her with the colonists and not take a known, willing, conspirator with Matriarch Benezia, into custody!"

This statement got Tevos, the Asari councilor, into defensive mode. "Now, Sparatus, the report just provided by your own Turian agent clearly indicated that Shiala was repentant and no longer under the influence of Saren nor the Thorian. Let it be, and let's move this session onto the true reason we contacted the Normandy in the first place." Sparatus grumbled an unwilling acquiescence, so Tevos continued, "Now, we have other...agents... in the field trying to track Saren's movements and have gotten reports from a Salarian Special Tactics Group on the planet Virmire. I believe Councilor Valern prefers to speak on the details of this matter."

As much as he disliked the Salarian councilor, Garrus politely directed his attention to the Salarian, taking a deep breath and releasing it slowly. Valern started slowly, as if to emphasize every word, "Yeeesss... we've had a team shadowing Geth movements and they ended up on Virmire, in the Hoc system of the Sentry Omega Cluster. Unfortunately, their report transmission was garbled, and we have been unable to reestablish contact."

Garrus nodded his head, anticipating where this was leading. "So, you want us to go pull their asses out of the fire and salvage any intel they may have gathered."

Valern stood tall and glared at the Turian, speaking more quickly. "They are most capable, and I'm sure this is merely a failure of communications. You are to go and collect the intel and follow any leads the team will undoubtedly provide you!"

Garrus softly chuckled. It was almost too easy to get under the skins of the councilors, especially since Shepard already had them on the defensive, absolutely enjoying any opportunity she got to ...ummm...cause a faulty connection and...hang up on them. They really didn't like that much, and Shepard, as good a person as she normally was, seemed to get a perverse pleasure out of it. Garrus thought that given Shepard's capabilities and the level of respect and loyalty she evoked in her crew, the Council should count themselves lucky if that was her only form of rebellion against them. He looked to the group of three before him, "Is there anything else you need, Councilors, or any additional information you wish me to pass on to Commander Shepard?"

The councilors glanced back and forth among themselves and upon receiving confirmatory nods, Councilor Tevos concluded, "No, that will be all. Please have Commander Shepard get in touch with us once you collect the data from Virmire." Her hand then flicked to the holographic panel in front of her, and the councilors vanished from view.

As Garrus stepped out of the conference room, he gave a shout, "Joker! New destination. Citadel will have to wait. Point us at Virmire, if you please."

After a brief pause, Joker piped over the comm, "Roger that, new course laid in, Garrus."

\-----------------------------

Shepard was sure she was dreaming, yet couldn't quite place what or where she was dreaming about. The bed seemed smaller than hers on the Normandy, and the sheets thicker and heavier somehow. She felt warm and comfortable, snuggled in... and in some way...safe. She hadn't had that sensation since moving onto the Normandy...not yet anyway...especially since her forced move into the Captain's quarters. As she gradually woke, she realized she was not at all dreaming, and with eyes still closed, moved to roll over...and felt resistance. She instantly froze, her eyes popped open, and with a grin her memory flooded her consciousness as she ascertained the reason for the resistance. There was a beautiful Asari stretched out beside her, an arm possessively curled over Samantha's midsection, arresting her movements. A quick glance at her chrono told her seven hours had passed; she marveled at her best night of sleep since the beacon, which she attributed fully to the being beside her. Sam eased her way onto her side, actually moving closer to Liara, and with her free hand, gently cupped Liara's face, her thumb gently caressing a smooth blue cheek. Liara murmured in her sleep, an unintelligible noise, but it made Sam's heart skip a beat as she pondered her amazingly good fortune to have this beautiful creature enter her life.

Continuing her tender administrations to Liara's cheek, Shepard studied every freckle and feature on the face before her; the crystal blue eyes slowly opened and sleepily looked back into Sam's pale greens. A small smile lit Liara's face as she tried to burrow into Sam's chest, mumbling, "Not. ready. to be up. yet."

Sam laughed quietly, flopped back flat on the bed and let Liara snuggle in, her warm breath feathery across Sam's chest. "We're not going anywhere yet. We have another hour before we're allowed out anyway, so might as well make the most of it." Liara's response was to stretch her hand and arm out, rotating her wrist, flex her fingers, and then pull them back in, hugging Samantha tightly to her. The strength and intimacy of the action incited a pang of want, which Sam quickly subdued. _Too soon, too fast... I won't violate Liara's trust!_

With the most honorable of intentions, Sam tipped her head to the side and kissed the crest on top of Liara's head; Asari have no hair, instead, they possess non-flexible cartilage-based scalp crests that grow into shape. While having worked with a few Asari, Sam had never been this close to these unique structures and started running her fingers over the folds and valleys formed by the crests, fascinated by the way they rose from the neck and base of the scalp and came almost to a point at the back of Liara's head. Sam placed her fingers at the base of Liara's neck and gently traced one of the folds up her neck to the base of her scalp. Unexpectedly, Liara trembled and quietly gasped, "Goddess, Sheppard! Please...don't..."

Samantha jerked her hand away like she had been burned. "I'm sorry, Liara! I didn't realize... never seen anything like these before. I find them... fascinating... so different from human hair. Are they sensitive? Does it hurt?" At this, Liara blushed, and Sam was intrigued as to the cause.

"Ummm, yes, and no. It is not painful, but Asari crests are most definitely sensitive. They... _Goddess, how do I explain this?_ ...can be very...uh...stimulating..." At this point, Liara's blush was exquisitely dark, and Shepard could feel the actual physical heat coming off of the Asari's face.

"Oh God! I'm sorry! By stimulating, you mean like... sexually? As in arousing?" Liara's groan of embarrassment and her attempt to hide her face was all the confirmation Shepard needed to launch her out of bed and make her retreat halfway across the room. A quick, "uhhh... I'm gonna use the bathroom," and Samantha vanished from sight. The door closed behind her and Shepard leaned into the sink and turned on the cold water, splashing her face. _Jesus, Sam, you really need to do some homework, you ignorant pile of horse shit!_ Sam was staring at herself in the mirror and wondering just how long she could hide before having to go back out into the room, when Liara knocked on the door.

Liara was a bit startled by Samantha's hasty retreat, and unexpectedly mourned the loss of the warm body next to her. _She really didn't know!_ As that thought crossed her mind, Liara started to giggle. She slowly stretched and then rose from the bed, sauntered over to the bathroom door and knocked. After grabbing a towel and drying her face, Sam yanked the door open, her face an interesting mix of embarrassment, anguish, and reticence, retreating to lean back against the sink, to create a safe buffer of space. It didn't work, as Liara stepped up to her and wrapped her arms around a reluctant Shepard's shoulders, whispering, "It is ok Samantha, you didn't know..."  

Sam laughed nervously, "And you thought you were the social misfit! I need to do some research if I want to properly court you! I really am sorry, Liara. I want to respect your wishes, and not push you...I certainly didn't intend to make inadvertent sexual advances on you!"

Accepting Liara's embrace, Samantha returned the hug, wrapping her arms loosely about the Asari and lightly massaging her lower back. Again, Liara groaned, "then you need to... move your hands...Goddess!..." Liara was almost breathless, burying her face into Shepard's neck, trying to finish her sentence, "move up to the center of my back and not... down...there!"

Samantha jerked her hands up and planted them firmly at the base of Liara's shoulder blades, her blush now surpassing Liara's.

"By the Goddess, Shepard! Are you sure you haven't read a book on Asari physiology? If you are this good by accident, I hate to see what you will be capable of once you really learn what you're doing! I won't be able to think!"

"Geez!" Sam removed her hands from Liara's back and cupped her face, separating their upper bodies enough where they could look into each other's eyes, but still hip to hip. Liara placed her hands on Samantha's arms, hanging from the crook of her elbows, and studied the face before her. It amazed her, how expressive Samantha's eyes were; if Liara could see her eyes, she could read Sam's mood like an open book. Right now, they were a bit cloudy, so Liara was sure she was apprehensive about the string of sexual miscues. Liara was afraid this uncertainty would become a relationship roadblock for Shepard, too worried about doing the wrong thing that she would fail to do anything at all, so Liara performed probably one of the boldest moves in her young adult life. She dropped one hand to Shepard's hip, and the other reached up and brushed some errant strands of hair up behind Samantha's ear. Her hand then traced down Sam's neck, and Liara cupped the back of her head and leaned in for a kiss.

As their lips touched, Liara closed her eyes and whispered, "Samantha, kiss me...please." Samantha groaned, echoing Liara's posture, one hand to a hip, and the other cupping the back of Liara's neck, responding enthusiastically to her request, kissing her deeply, probing, feeling the fire of passion ignite deep in her core.

With a ragged, husky voice, Samantha broke the kiss and spoke, "God, Liara, do you have any idea what you do to me?"

Leaning her forehead against Shepard's, Liara whimpered, "I'm sure it's the same as you do to me, Samantha Shepard. However little sense it may make, I love you like I have never ever loved another."

Samantha pushed herself up, off the countertop, and placing her hands on Liara's shoulders, physically separated the two bodies. "Liara..." The breathy name hung in the air between them like a promise, full of restrained desire. "I don't...We can't...God, why is it so hard to tell you how I feel? I want you, Liara, more than you can know, but we can't right now... can we?" Liara went to answer, and Samantha quickly raised fingers to her lips, stopping the words before they came. "You don't have to answer that. Rhetorical question.   I know how you feel, and I understand we have to put the mission first. Our timing couldn't be worse, but we can't control that, and I have no regrets. I want this to happen, and it will happen, just not now. But rest assured...there will be no one else but you, I give you my word. Nothing has changed, I will wait... for us." Samantha smiled at the Asari, a tender, loving smile that reflected in her now piercingly clear green eyes.

Liara took Samantha's hand and tugged her out of the bathroom, walking back toward the center of the room before turning back to her and surrounding her in a hug again, resting her head on Sam's shoulder, whispering into her neck. "Oh, Shepard...I love being near you, close enough to absorb your warmth...and now that I've felt it, I can't give it up...I... I know I will worry about you on every mission, I won't be able to help myself, but it is too late for me to go back now..."

Additional conversation was cut off by a chime from the door. Liara and Shepard separated, grinning sheepishly at each other, both self-consciously straightened their clothing. With one last meaningful glance at Liara, Shepard swept her fingers through her hair and turned to the door, saying one word. "Come." The door opened to reveal Karin Chakwas. Shepard glanced at her wrist, amazed that her chrono indicated their remaining hour had come and gone. When had that happened? _Time flies when you're having fun!_    "Morning, Doc!" said a smiling Shepard.

"Commander...Liara...You're both looking rather chipper, especially compared to last time I saw you. How are we feeling this morning?"

Samantha looked at Liara, who did nothing but acquire a light blush, so Sam rolled her eyes and looked back at the doc. "We're doing good, Karin. I had the best night's sleep since the incident with the beacon, and I believe..." Sam glanced sideways at Liara, "Dr T'Soni was very comfortable here and also slept restfully. No reports written, no research attempted before bed, no nightmares to interrupt...a solid seven hours before either of us stirred."

Karin noted Liara's discomfort before responding, "Very good, though seven hours, given your workload, is still not sufficient, especially with your backlog and level of sleep deprivation." Her eyes picked up an almost predatory twinkle, smiling as she seemed to think aloud, "Perhaps I need to prescribe a similar treatment, every night for the next week...or at least until I see a marked improvement?"

A brief flash of panic crossed Liara's face before she blurted out, "Karin! I cannot sleep here every night! I... I have my work, my research...and Goddess, what would the rest of the crew think?"

Samantha, having caught the teasing tone in Karin's voice, laughed at Liara's outburst, but receiving a lancing glare from Liara, quickly followed up, "Karin, you should know better than that! You know Liara still has a hard time picking up on our humor. It's not very kind of you to tease her so...."

At this, Liara's face turned a wonderful shade of purple and her hand came up to pinch the bridge of her nose as she bowed her head. "By the Goddess, I do not think I will ever catch on to human joking. You all seem to do it at the most inappropriate times!"

Karin chuckled, "I suppose you are correct, Commander, though I don't often see you refraining when the opportunity presents itself!"

Shepard beamed, and reaching around Liara's waist, pulled her tight against her side, "Stick with me, kid, and you'll have it down in no time...either that or you'll quickly die of embarrassment!" Liara stiffened at the pseudo-hug, but seeing the smiles on both Karin and Samantha, just surrendered to her unease with the brash display of intimacy without further comment, relaxing slightly and leaning into Shepard for support.

Karin admired the duo, surprised at how much could change in just 12 hours time. The shift in demeanor for both of them, from when Shepard stormed back aboard the Normandy, to the seemingly contented, albeit reserved, couple in front of her now, was positively amazing. They both still looked a tad bit tired, but with what still loomed in the Normandy's future, she didn't really expect that to change too much, though she could hope. She would monitor them both a bit closer from this point forward and do her damned best to insure they ate right and got as much sleep as was possible under the circumstances. "Right then. All things considered, I guess I have to let you return to duty...Commander, I believe Garrus needs to see you, and neither of you can be skipping meals, so be sure you both eat in the next hour, before we arrive at Virmire." Liara felt a quick stab of tension, and Samantha released her waist and stepped away, creating distance.

Commander Shepard's head snapped up. "Virmire?"

"Yes, Commander. Go talk to Garrus... and don't forget breakfast!" Karin pointedly looked at each of them to reinforce their need to eat, and then retreated from the room to head back to the med bay.

Sam started walking and talking at the same time, going to her closet and grabbing a fresh uniform to put on. "Sorry, Liara, I was looking forward to having breakfast with you but..."

Liara finished the sentence, "...duty calls. I know. I'll see you soon, Shepard." Liara flashed a smile and quickly left the room; she did not notice the look on Kaidan's face as he watched Liara cross the mess hall from the Commander's room to her little space behind the med bay. Kaidan put his dishes on the counter and walked directly to the Commander's door, tapping the panel for entry.

Sam grimaced after Liara left. She had gotten so caught up in events, she hadn't cleaned her armor from the day before, and it was still piled in the corner. She sighed, picked it up, and got to work cleaning it up and doing necessary spot repairs. She had just sat down when the door chimed. She shouted, "Come!" and with a smile glanced over her shoulder as she started speaking. "What's up, Liara, forget..." Her words died as she realized it was Kaidan standing in her doorway, not Liara. "Whatcha need, Kaidan?" She could see something was not going well for the Lieutenant; he had a habit of wearing all his emotions on his face. _I guess he's too inexperienced yet to know how to school his expressions._ "Well, come on in, you obviously have something on your mind. We'll chat while I prep my armor."

Kaidan approached slowly and stood at parade rest, his feet separated and his hands clasped behind his back as he started to speak. "Permission to speak freely, ma'am?"

Sam narrowed her eyes, wondering what this was all about. "Absolutely, LT. You know I value your input on ship ops. What's going on?"

Kaidan scowled. "I'm here to ask you that very question! What are you doing? Did Doctor T'Soni spend the night with you?"

Samantha raised her eyebrows, slightly taken aback by the hostility in Kaidan's voice, and responded, speaking slowly. "Yes... Under order of Dr Chakwas..."

Kaidan grumped. "Please! You expect me to believe the Doctor ordered her to sleep with you?"

Samantha dropped her armor and stood up, taking a step up to Kaidan, her eyes flashing in anger. "I resent the implications of that statement, Alenko. Number one, what purpose would there be in my lying to you? Number two, Dr T'Soni is not some Asari entertainer on board for sexual pleasure, and I can't believe you would think I would sleep with someone just for that purpose, not to mention the fact it also assumes Dr T'Soni would agree to it! And number three, even if I was that type of person, I didn't realize I would need your permission to do so!" She continued, giving Kaidan no chance to respond. "The good Doctor ordered we spend the night in the same room; the reasons for which I am not inclined to share with you at the moment. Does that meet with your approval, Lieutenant? What's the problem? Am I infringing on something? You have intentions on the Asari, Lieutenant?" Kaidan opened his mouth, and then closed it again, saying nothing, his neck and face growing more red by the moment. The commander barked out a hard laugh, the sound lacking any hint of humor. "Come on, Lieutenant. I gave you permission to speak freely. Let's hear it!" At that, Samantha stepped back and crossed her arms over her chest, glaring at Kaidan, waiting for his response.

Kaidan visibly gulped, then took a deep breath before responding, "Sorry, Commander. I guess I didn't think it through. I was just surprised to see Dr T'Soni leaving your quarters so early this morning, and if I saw it, I'm sure lots more of the crew did as well..."

Samantha didn't buy it. "Oh, that's bullshit, Alenko, and you know it! The look on your face when you came in the door? You have a personal stake in this somewhere. Don't use 'crew morale' as a shield. Give me a break. You interested in Liara?" She stared at him, making it very obvious she was awaiting a response.

Kaidan stammered, but managed an answer. "No...Uhmmm... No, I am not interested in Liara... I...uhmm...oh, hell. I'm actually interested in you, but I know with us both being Alliance, it's not possible. And now, if you know... I know I should transfer to another ship and not be under your command... then ... maybe...?"

Sam was shocked and not quite sure what to say. She sat back down and glanced at her armor before responding. "Well, shit, Alenko. I appreciate the compliment, but us being Alliance doesn't matter one way or the other." She saw the crestfallen look run rampant across Kaidan's face, and she continued, "Kaidan, it's not you. I know that's one of the oldest put-downs in the book, but it's the truth. Kaidan, you're just not my type. I'm a lesbian. You're a great guy, and I respect you and like you a lot, but... guys just aren't my thing." Kaidan shuffled his feet, looking undecided as to whether he would continue the conversation or bolt from the room.

Sam wanted to make sure Kaidan understood something else before he escaped. "Listen. To address the elephant in the room, yes, I do have feelings for Dr T'Soni, and they are mutual. I figured most people had that figured out by now, and I'm sorry if you didn't and it's caused...this. But to make things perfectly clear, nothing happened last night. It really was medical necessity, and Dr Chakwas did pretty much issue us an ultimatum. You saw Liara leaving; did you not also see Dr Chakwas going in and out checking on us? Chakwas was here last night and again early this morning. I'm sorry. I wish this wasn't so awkward. I need you, Kaidan. You're an excellent officer. No hard feelings?"

Kaidan hung his head, contemplating for a moment before he stood up and squared his shoulders. "Yes, ma'am. Understood. You won't hear another word about it from me."

"Good. Now get outta here. I've got to get this finished and get up to the CIC to see Garrus..." Sam hesitated for just a minute before continuing. "And Kaidan? Chin up. You're good ... The Alliance needs more like you." Kaidan just nodded and left the room.

Shepard strode purposefully onto the command deck and found Garrus standing at the navigation display, checking their progress toward Virmire. "Morning, Vakarian! Doc Chakwas told me to come talk to you...seems we have a change of destination?"

Garrus chuckled, "Hey, Shepard. So, you taking orders from the good Doctor now? Oh, how the mighty have fallen!"

The commander gave the Turian a sidelong glance and grinned, "You obviously have not had the pleasure of working with Dr Karin Chakwas once she's been pushed past the point of shipmate camaraderie. Not someone you want to cross once she is in full professional Doctor mode. Before you can blink, she'll have you in a full body cast and totally at her whim! Anyway... Virmire?"

"Yeah, the Council called while you were sleeping...sorry you missed the opportunity to hang up on them, but someone on this ship has to play the politics game once in a while so they don't totally hate us!" Shepard was in too good of a mood to be baited, so just grunted and waited expectantly for him to continue. Garrus complied, and filled her in on how they were... _surprise, surprise..._ a bit peeved at the Feros report and the destruction of the Thorian, and how they had absolutely no helpful information on the Normandy's next task, other than the location of the planet Virmire. "Not surprising...they have yet to provide us with anything other than a location and a totally unenlightened intel summary. Why start now?"

Samantha paused, and turned to face her crewmember. "Hey, Garrus...I know we didn't have a lot of choice given the circumstances, but thanks for stepping up and...taking care of things while I was down. Nice to know someone on this boat can make a decision and go with it, without second guessing and having to check with me first."

Garrus shrugged, looked like he was going to ignore the comment, and then thought better of it. "No problem, Shepard. It's in my blood; Turians are raised that way, duty first, victory at any cost. We wouldn't know how to do anything else but step up to the challenge." His mandibles twitched. "Besides, you're not the only one who's afraid of Dr Chakwas!"

The two comrades laughed, and Samantha swung back into commander mode. "Alright, we're close, so guess we gotta hit it. You head back down and make sure the Mako is prepped to go dirt side. Since we don't know what's coming yet, let everyone know to be ready and I'll pick the ground team once we know better what we're facing. I've got to grab some chow, or the Doc will have my head."

Samantha grabbed some breakfast, then headed for the armory to don her gear and load up her weapons. She was just finishing when Flight Lt Moreau piped on the comm. "Commander. We're here, and you're not going to like it."

A frown creased Shepard's face, "What have we got, Joker?"

Joker's voice had no humor when he responded, "I've found the STG base of operations, but communications are being jammed, I can't reach them. To make things more interesting, there is a full battery of AA guns active and we can't even get close. You're going to have to drop in the Mako and take at least two down for us to have a clear flight path."

"Roger that, Flight Lieutenant. A full battery says there's something worth protecting. Whatever it is, we need to find it. Any indication of what's on the ground? Geth? Krogan?..." Samantha hesitated before the next question, and her face became hard as ice. "Saren?"

"Negative, Commander. A lot of jamming, probably the same as what's blocking the STG signal, but whatever's down there I'm sure it's not going to be pretty..."

Commander Shepard turned to the ground crew. "Tali, Garrus, with me...Alenko, have a second squad ready, you, Wrex and Ashley, in case we need back up. Let's load up!" Returning her attention to the comm, Shepard tapped Joker. "Moreau, find us a landing zone and map the route to everyone's omnitools... let's get this done!" As the crew started to move, Sam saw Liara drop her head. Unsure if it was from disappointment for not being on the mission, or plain concern for Samantha's safety, the commander offered what little public consolation she can. "Hey, T'Soni." Liara's head came up and cloudy blues met intense, focused greens. "See you dirt side!" Sam flashed her best reassuring smile, and climbed in the Mako.


	13. A Plea for Help

As they approached the landing zone, the commander activated the external cameras and took in the view. While Virmire had a lot of ocean covering the surface, a wide equatorial band was covered with lush, tropical forest. The planet was beautiful, but Sam fervently hoped they could use the waterways for navigation, and not have to penetrate that heavy jungle. Getting in would most likely be easy, but a fast extraction, should they need it, could prove difficult. Their designated landing zone was a hopefully shallow coastal waterway; the site was selected using early colonial surveys, and Sam kept her fingers crossed the data was correct. As they roared in, Sam was taken aback by the lush green canopy and beautiful beaches; the quickly climbing rock edges of the channel became more prominent as they got closer to the ground and Sam realized they would be restricted to the channel once they got there, because there were no soft slopes to where they could even think about climbing out of the waterway. She was still enjoying the scenery and contemplating if they had made the right decision when she realized how close to the ground they were.

Shepard flared the Mako's thrusters late, and splashed down into the channel none too gently, causing Tali to cuss and Garrus to grunt. "You ever going to actually learn how to drive this thing, Commander?"

Sam laughed, "What's the matter, Vakarian, can't handle a little chop?"

Garrus retorted, "Chop yes...hitting the ground so hard you degrade the barriers before we ever even see battle? Different story." Shepard grinned and hit the gas, starting up the very shallow channel toward the first AA tower, not bothering to tell them the true reason for their hard landing.

As they came around the first corner, Tali yelled out, "Rockets incoming! One o'clock!" Shepard slammed the Mako into reverse and backed out of the path, the rockets ripping past the front of the vehicle and impacting on rocks off to the side. She then jumped back into forward and bobbed and weaved her way up the channel, Garrus doing his best to target and destroy anything he saw; scary as it was, he thought maybe he was actually starting to get used to her driving and was doing much better at aiming the big gun. They were progressing fairly well, when suddenly a Geth Juggernaut loomed out from behind a rock, way too close to the Mako for Garrus to have time to swivel the cannon. Shepard reacted without thinking, slamming the accelerator to the floor, the Mako surging forward, ramming the Geth and running it over, then slamming the Mako into reverse and backing over it, crushing the Geth's 'head' under the wheels of the Mako. The unexpected rapid changes of direction sent Tali tumbling. "Shepard! You Bosh'tet! A little warning too much to ask?"

Shepard gleefully smiled, "Sorry, Tali! No time to do much of anything, it popped out too quick. Did you see its little eyebrow things pop up when it realized what I was doing?" Though she couldn't see Tali's face through her suit mask, Shepard knew she was getting glared at when Tali provided no verbal response. Still grinning, Shepard shrugged, and they continued on up the channel, repeating the same tactics until they approached the first AA gun and accompanying gate house.

The Mako ground to a halt behind some rocks and the team dismounted. Garrus took up position and returned fire at some Geth snipers, while Tali hacked an airborne drone. It took a bit of patience, but eventually the team wore down the defenses and managed to approach the gate house. At the top of the entry ramp, the team encountered a couple of Geth Troopers and a Destroyer, causing Shepard to curse. "Damn it! Tali, sabotage that Destroyer, or we're meat! Garrus, plunk that thing best you can until we can take its shield down!"

Shepard launched a biotic throw to delay the Destroyer's charge, while blasting away at the Troopers with the aid of the hacked drone. The Troopers actually went down relatively quickly, but just as Shepard returned her focus to the Destroyer, it charged their position. Garrus dove out to the side, rolling out of its path, and cussed as he planted to get the Geth back in his sights, realizing Shepard now stood, unprotected, directly in its path. Shepard's world went into slow motion as she called her biotics. Rolling onto her back to buy precious milliseconds, she tossed a lift as the Geth was upon her, the combination of the Destroyer's own forward momentum and her lift sending it careening over her head into the wall behind her. Tali had been frantically working her omnitool and managed to overload the Geth as it momentarily lay stunned, stripping its shields. A couple of well placed sniper shots finished it off for good. Shepard pulled her knees to her chest and, even in full armor, performed a kip-up, landing on her feet. Tali watched her in amazement, "Keelah, Shepard! How do you do that?"

Shepard furrowed her brow and simply asked, "Do what?" Receiving no answer other than a shake of Tali's head, she shrugged her shoulders and walked into the gatehouse. "Ok, Tali, you're up. Figure out how to shut that thing down, and get that gate open so we can move."  

It wasn't long before her radio chirped in her ear. Joker. "One down, one to go. Nice work, Commander." Shepard patted the little Quarian on the shoulder as they climbed back in the Mako and proceeded on their way.

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Shepard thought fondly of the little Quarian; Tali was like the younger sister she never had. When they first brought her on the Normandy, she was incredibly shy. She found a comfortable spot for herself down on the engineering deck, absolutely fascinated by the Normandy's engines. Engineer Adams was thrilled to death to have her down there, stating her engineering skills far surpassed anyone on the crew. Tali had bared her soul to Shepard, imparting to her the importance of the Quarian Pilgrimage, the need of every young Quarian to go out into the galaxy and bring something of worth back to the Fleet. She placed complete trust in Shepard and the Normandy mission to provide her the thing she needed that would allow her to return to the Fleet, head held high. Tali's father was a member of the Admiralty Board, the governing body for the Quarian people, so expectations were high. Shepard remembered chuckling at that; if saving the Galaxy from Saren and his Geth army wasn't enough to impress them, then nothing ever would.

What Shepard appreciated the most was Tali's bright personality. Her voice always held a smile, she seemed honestly happy to be with them, and almost always provided stimulating, honest, conversation. There was not really much known about the Quarians, other than they were a migrant race, frequently compared to the Gypsies of old Earth with trust lacking just as much. They were called suit rats, because their weak immunity forced them to constantly live in an envirosuit. It didn't help that most had darkened faceplates, so it was hard to tell what the Quarian people actually looked like, much less see their faces and read their expressions. They had no home planet to call their own, and people tended to mistrust such a transient people who always hid behind a mask. Shepard found the stereotype to be completely false; Tali had never given her any reason to doubt her honesty or loyalty, and considered her a fine addition to the crew with her engineering and tech skills.

Between the conversations with Shepard and the encouragement of Engineer Adams, Tali eventually got enough courage to start talking with other crew members. She developed stronger friendships with the other ground crew members especially, and now Tali could frequently be seen on the mess deck and wandering the armory engaging them on a daily basis. She was certainly better at socializing than Liara was. Shepard attributed that to the social Quarian environment, versus growing up as a Matriarch's sole heir. Tali had really emerged from her shell during her time on the Normandy; Liara could take lessons from the seemingly eccentric little Quarian.

\-------------------------------

Further down the path, past a few Troopers and Rocket Troopers, along with an occasional drone, they rolled around a corner and ran up against a Colossus. Garrus fired the cannon as Shepard slammed into reverse and backed behind the cliff shielding the turn. She then went forward, in spurts, pausing intermittently with a warning to Garrus to let him know how to best time his shots. The Colossus stood relatively still, making it easy for Garrus to keep the cannon on target, and Shepard's surge and stop tactics were timed simply to dodge anything the Geth shot their way. A number of well placed cannon shots and the Colossus was down, with hardly any damage to the Mako's shields. Repeating the same tactics, they moved slowly and methodically, until they finally approached the second and final gatehouse. This foray outside the Mako was very similar to the first, but now they also ran into the little hopping sniper units, fast and hard to target, Shepard just shrugged and tossed a singularity out into their paths... As they tried to hop through, the singularity snatched them up and Garrus made quick work of them. Tali jumped on the terminals inside and quickly had the gate open; the last AA gun blocking their path to the STG base was down shortly after. As they exited the building to return to the Mako, the Normandy flew low and slow over their head, in transit to the forward operating base. "Thanks, Commander! See you at the landing zone!" Shepard was surprised the cocky pilot didn't try to waggle the wings as he flew over.

Driving the Mako up to the camp, Shepard saw the Normandy had already lowered the loading ramp and disembarked all the ground crew members. Kaidan and Ashley were speaking with a Salarian captain, so the commander went in that direction once out of the Mako. As she walked up, the Salarian welcomed her. "Commander Shepard, Capt Kirrahe, 3rd Infiltration Regiment, Special Tactics Group. It's a pleasure. I assume you are the lead unit for the reinforcements we requested?"

Shepard shook her head. "Afraid not, Captain. Your message was garbled, so we were sent to investigate."

Kirrahe was evidently displeased. "You've got to be kidding. That is a duplication of our assignment, and gains us nothing. I've lost half my men 'investigating' this place. Turns out to be a major base of operations for Saren, heavily fortified and guarded by a full legion of Geth."

Shepard stared at Kirrahe for a moment before repeating what she just heard. "A full legion? What the hell is Saren protecting?"

Kirrahe responded in a deadly serious tone. "Apparently, Saren has found a way to defeat the Genophage and is breeding a Krogan army. It must be destroyed."

Wrex overheard the conversation and angrily stepped in, "What? He's developed a cure? No way in hell you're destroying that! That cure can save my people!"

Kirrahe refused to back down from his assessment, stating the galaxy must learn from the past...when the Krogan were uplifted to defeat the Rachni, it lead to the Krogan rebellions, a mistake that must not be repeated. Wrex roared at Kirrahe, "We are not a mistake!" before glancing angrily at Shepard and stalking away up the shoreline.

Kirrahe looked worriedly at Shepard. "Is he going to be a problem? We have enough problems with Saren's forces, without adding a rampaging Battlemaster to the list."

Samantha eyed Wrex warily, watching him pull out his shotgun and start to shoot at fish. "Don't worry about it Captain. You figure out a plan to get done what needs to be done, and I'll take care of Wrex. My crew, my responsibility."

As Shepard turned to go talk to Wrex, she was intercepted by an anxious Kaidan and Ashley. Ash piped in quickly, "Commander, I'm worried about Wrex... I mean, look at him! He's really pissed off."

Before Shepard can say anything, Kaidan angrily retorted, "You'd be pissed off too, if you saw a way to save all of humanity and someone said they wanted it destroyed!"

Shepard watched the two briefly, as they discussed Wrex's behavior, until finally cutting them off. "Enough! I'm going to talk to Wrex, see what we can do. I'd be angry too, but now is not the time. We have a mission that needs doing, and we're going to do it. Hopefully Wrex can see past this..." Ashley started to interrupt, but Shepard cut her off. "I said enough. I'll handle it. Just be ready if things go sideways."

She gave them both a meaningful look and headed across the sand toward the sound of a bellowing shotgun. Before following a few paces behind the commander, Ashley whispered under her breath, "I'm always ready."

As the commander neared, Wrex wheeled on her. "This isn't right, Shepard! You gotta help me out here!" He did not look in least bit pleased by the unexpected developments. Shepard knew she had to figure out a way to talk him down...she wasn't really sure she could take Wrex in a head-to-head fight. As capable as the commander was, Krogan, in general, were definitely tough, and Wrex was at, or near, the top of the Krogan food chain. Take a seven foot, two thousand pound reptilian biped with naturally thick hide and add armor, a hell of an arsenal, biotics and hundreds of years of battle experience; Samantha did not want to get on his bad side. It wasn't just that Wrex would be a tough opponent, but also that he made one hell of an ally, and Sam considered him her friend. Their multiple talks in the armory had established a common ground, a love of the fight that was framed by a solid warrior's code of ethics and a mutual respect most of the crew had found surprising; a Krogan Battlemaster and a relatively 'puny, squishy human,' as Wrex called her, made a strange pair.

All things considered, the crew thought she was nuts when Shepard stepped up and looked Wrex square in the face. "I know this is tough, Wrex, but hear me out. A Krogan army. I know you guys are tough sons of bitches. We can't let Saren have that tool. You saw the Thorian...these things won't be Krogan! You know Saren wouldn't do this without some way to control them! They'll be nothing but Saren's puppets! I can't believe that's what you really want for the future of your people, Wrex."

Wrex was still fuming, but stowed his shotgun while he spoke. "You've got a quad human, coming over here without even a weapon drawn. If it was anybody else but you, Shepard, you'd already be dead."

Shepard nodded in understanding. "I know that, Wrex. And you know me. If there was any way I could see around this I'd take it. I don't take the easy way, I take the right one. I wouldn't ask this of you otherwise. You help me now and I promise I'll do what I can to help you find a real cure for your people when this is all done. I believe your people have suffered enough."

Wrex grunted in agreement. "Fine. The Krogan have been puppets for too long. Saren is going to pay for what he's done..." Wrex's eyes bore into Shepard..."and I'm going to hold you to that promise." Shepard kept eye contact with Wrex for a few moments, then nodded in silent accord before turning away and returning the way she came.

Ash was surprised...and greatly relieved. "Never thought you'd actually talk him down, Commander. Never knew you to be a politician."

Shepard responded with a pained look on her face. "Ash! You wound me! Comparing me to suit drivel? I'm insulted! Negotiator, yes. Politician? Please!" That got a good chuckle from everyone and the tension eased considerably.

Shepard looked around a bit, talked to the various crew members wandering around, saving Liara for last. As she approached, Liara looked up, her eyes troubled. "I was starting to wonder if you were avoiding me for some reason."

Shepard stepped in close, but did not touch her, maintaining a strict personal discipline to keep a solid hold on her emotions. "Not a chance, T'Soni. Just saving the best for last. You doing OK?"

Liara smiled bashfully, and her eyes dropped to the ground, contemplating what the commander had said. "I am fine, Shepard." Liara looked back up, her eyes now bright, more determined.   She continued, "Especially now...I am ready to face whatever we need to. I am with you to the end, Commander."

Samantha nodded, hesitating just a moment before turning away, then speaking back over her shoulder as she went. "Good, because you're on my ground team. Get your stuff." Liara's jaw dropped for a moment before she snapped it closed. _You got what you wished, T'Soni. Now be sure to make good on it!_  She went to collect her gear.

"Kirrahe, got a plan yet?" Shepard spoke as she entered the temporary command tent.

"Affirmative, Commander. Though it is risky and will require a bit of luck to accomplish." Shepard signaled for him to continue. "We will disable our ship's drive core and use it as a bomb. Placed in the correct location, it will destroy the entire breeding facility." Pointing to a map, Kirrahe indicates a small courtyard in the center of the compound. "We can use the Normandy to deliver it to the site, but unfortunately, that means we have to disable this AA tower and penetrate all the way to the center in order to place it properly to ensure destruction."

Shepard looks warily at the map, rubbing at the tension in her neck. "Getting in that deep could be a problem. What's the plan?"

Using the map as a guide, he explained. "Three teams, one to go through here and take down the AA gun. The other two will commit to a two-prong attack on the front of the facility. We don't have a chance, but we don't really need one. The frontal assault is a diversion, and just needs to hold long enough for my team to take down the gun, and your shadow team to sneak in through these warehouses and take control of the central courtyard. Once we secure the two objectives, the Normandy can deliver the nuke. We set it, start the timer, and bug out. Hopefully we can reach escape distance in time. We will need four minutes, we will set the timer for five. Little room for error. The bomb will also have a failsafe; anyone attempts to tamper with the arming trigger, the device will detonate immediately."

Shepard drew a long slow breath, staring at the map. "Ok, you're right, risky. I see us taking a slightly longer route, here. It will take us by the comm center, satellite uplink station, and the drone refueling center. If we can take those down, I think it will ease pressure on the front and you might come away with a few more men.   Won't add much travel time for us, and it will put a huge kink in the overall Geth game plan. Another thing; I don't like the failsafe. Won't do us any good to destroy the breading facility if we all die, but don't kill Saren. Too risky for the big picture. Everything else looks good to me."

Kirrahe considered the changes. "Agreed, Commander. Excellent recommendations. Nice to work with someone with a good grasp of strategy, as well as battlefield tactics. One more thing; to ensure we have both objectives met before we call the Normandy in, I would like to have one of your personnel on my AA gun team, to ensure good communications between us."

Shepard was considering the request when she heard Kaidan behind her. "It's a solid recommendation, Commander. I volunteer."

The suggestion was immediately vetoed by Ashley. "No way, LT. Commander needs you on the nuke! I'll take the AA team."

Shepard spun around on both of them. "Enough. What is it with you two? You sound like an old married couple! It's not your call, so shut it." She glared at them both one last time before turning back to Kirrahe. "Captain, you have a preference?"

Kirrahe responded quickly. "They are your team, Commander. I don't believe you would have anyone here who was not capable. Your choice. I will accept either one."

She briefly considered her options. "Chief Williams is right. I need Alenko on the Normandy to arm the nuke. Kirrahe, you get the Chief. The rest of my team is with me on Shadow."

Shepard rounded up the entire team, notifying Garrus, Tali, Wrex, and Liara they were on Team Shadow, showing them the map and their objectives. She then focused on Kaidan and Ashley. "Heads in the game people. Eyes up, guns forward...don't do anything stupid, and we'll see you on the other side." With that, she turned to the Captain. "Kirrahe. Ready when you are."

The teams split into their groups and headed out to their respective assignments. As Shepard's team approached the first intersection, she radioed Kirrahe, "Team Shadow is in play, about to make first contact."   Samantha laid out the tactical plan for the squad, her and Wrex on point, Liara and Tali middle support, and Garrus as sniper and rear guard. When they heard the first explosion signaling the start of the frontal assault, they began to move through the first intersection and saw their first two Geth Troopers. Shepard immediately grabbed one in a lift, which Wrex detonated with a warp; the resultant explosion knocked the other Trooper to the side. Liara subsequently grabbed it in a lift, and Garrus finished it with a couple well placed shots. Shepard signaled to continue, and they closed the distance to the first target, the communications tower. Garrus sighted through his sniper scope and whispered on the comm, "We've got one normal and one Shock Trooper lower level, a Shock Trooper and Destroyer up on the platform.... Hold on!" Garrus' rifle barked once. "And scratch one sniper. Clear to move forward, Shepard."

The group pressed onward, Tali hacking the Trooper on the lower level, providing distraction as it turned and started firing on the neighboring Shock Troop. The two Geth on the upper platform started down the ramp as Wrex charged forward to engage, leading with a warp to the Shock Troop. Shepard called out in sharp staccato commands, "T'Soni. Destroyer. Warp!" Shepard followed suit, and combined with the double warp, an overload attack from Tali dropped the Destroyer's shield, allowing Garrus to pepper it with sniper shots. Shepard ran forward to join Wrex, finishing off the standard Trooper with a close range shotgun blast, as Wrex did the same to the lower level Shock Troop. Wrex turned to the weakened Destroyer coming down the ramp, and Shepard called on her biotics one more time to charge the second Shock Trooper, also descending the ramp. "T'Soni. Singularity. Shock Troop!" The second Shepard saw the singularity coalesce around the Shock Trooper, she yelled, "Wrex! Incoming!" and turned into a blue bolt of pure power, charging into the Shock Troop, detonating the singularity, killing the Shock Troop and tossing the Destroyer off the ramp, sending it plummeting to a heap on the ground. Wrex turned and looked at her, "Shepard, I really wish you wouldn't do that." "What, Wrex? Charge in and steal your kill at the last minute? Thought you'd like it...I'm just fighting like a Krogan!" Wrex shook his head in bewilderment. "I know! That's the problem! You squishy humans aren't built for that!" Shepard flashed a big lopsided grin, "Wrex, just face it. I'm not gonna let you have all the fun. Now, let's get this tower off-line!" The team proceeded up the ramp and located the control console. "Tali, you're up again. Kill that thing." The little Quarian stepped up. "Keelah, Shepard! Give me something challenging, would you?" She overloaded the console in no time. "Ready!" she chirped. It didn't matter that Tali's face was hidden behind a mask; Shepard could hear the satisfied smile in her voice.

Clearing the communications tower, Shepard knew they just helped everyone involved by disrupting Geth communications. _They should be less able to coordinate counter attacks now._ "Alright folks, let's kill their comms completely by taking out the satellite uplink... move out!" Dropping back into their fighting formation, they continued up the path. Suddenly, two assault drones zipped around the corner and opened fire at close range, immediately dropping Shepard's barrier. As she dived for cover, a protective Liara launched a singularity into their midst. While Wrex had initially started blasting away with his shotgun, the moment he saw Liara's attack, he launched a warp and detonated the singularity, tossing both drones away with the force of the explosion. One drone careened into the rock face of the cliff, destroying it, and the other was pushed off the path to the side, dropping its shield. The sharp bark of a sniper rifle was immediately followed by the drone dropping out of the sky like a rock. Just then, a Trooper stepped into view and started firing at Wrex. As a solo target, it didn't stand a chance, and it literally disintegrated under the barrage of the entire team. Shepard actually laughed, "Well, that was a bit of overkill!" The team quickly resumed their forward progress.

A bit farther on, Garrus scoped the next target from afar. They would have to cross a large open space to reach the satellite uplink, without any cover to speak of, but Garrus' report was good. "I only see a Shock Trooper and a single Krogan warrior, Shepard." Shepard quickly responded. "Alright, piece of cake. They must be sending reinforcements to the frontal assault. That's going to make things tough for them up there, but easy on us. Tali, overload the Trooper's shield. Garrus, the minute it drops, take a shot, and I'll finish with a charge. Wrex the warrior is yours, everyone left unemployed move forward and assist Wrex with the Krogan. Go!" Tali had started working on the overload as soon as Shepard called it out, and by the time the plan was laid out, she was ready. On Shepard's 'Go' call, she triggered the overload and the attack began. Less than a minute later, they were all standing on the ramp of the satellite tower. Shepard simply walked up the ramp and blasted the uplink with her submachine gun. Objective two complete. Shepard did a team check; they had been using a lot of biotic energy, so to ensure no one drained themselves, she had everyone slam down an energy drink just to be safe.

The team was on the move again, this time toward the refueling platform. Feeling uneasy at their pace, Shepard moved the team along a bit quicker now, jogging on long, open straight-aways, only slowing down to peek around corners. The diversionary forces could only last so long, and every second Shadow delayed meant more Salarians were sacrificing their lives; it weighed heavy on her soul. Looking around one more corner, she saw a ramp ahead. On the upper platform stood a Destroyer and a Rocket Trooper. The rockets would make a slow approach difficult. "Liara, Garrus, front and center. Got a Rocket Trooper you need to take down." Shepard pointed to a large section of rock. "Wrex and I will move forward to that rock for cover, tossing warps as we go. Our movement should draw fire. The minute that thing exposes itself, blast it. While we do that, Tali, I need you to start working on overloading that Destroyer." Getting affirmative nods from the team, Shepard smiled at Wrex, "Let's go big man, we're up!" Receiving a grin in return, the two blasted out of cover. Wrex launched an initial warp as soon as he broke into the open, while Shepard waited three paces before launching one of her own. As she ducked in behind the rocks, Wrex had already pulled up a barrier and was on the move again toward the Destroyer. Liara had lifted the Rocket Trooper, and the bark of a sniper indicated the helpless Trooper was not long for this world, unable to launch rockets nor defend itself. Tali targeted the Destroyer with the overload, and once its shield dropped, the fight was finished quickly.

They continued down the path toward the refueling station, turned a corner, and were immediately besieged by no less than five drones, at least two of which were rocket drones. As the first impacts struck, Shepard was tossed back, her barrier dropping. She grunted in pain as she felt a barrage of fire from an assault drone penetrate her armor. Her attempt to roll away from the assault was halted by a blue hand pinning her to the ground, while Liara erected a barrier between them and the drones. "I've got you covered, Shepard. Get that bleeding stopped." If Samantha hadn't been in pain, she may have laughed; the tone of the normally shy, unassuming archeologist brokered no argument and Sam liked watching Liara come into her own. She popped one side of her armor so she could reach underneath to the penetrations in her side, gritting her teeth as she silently poked medigel into the holes. In the meantime, Tali had hacked one of the assault drones and it turned on its partners, finishing off a rocket drone that Wrex had warped and blasted with his shotgun. Garrus stayed back, leaning around the corner, his sniper barking as fast as he could reload and find targets, and one of the assault drones fell, its shield finally breached. Samantha resealed her armor and brought her barrier back up, the medigel already easing her pain. She flashed a grateful smile, "Thanks, Blue. Let's get back to it." With a quick nod, Liara launched a singularity into the mix and pressed back into the fight. Surprise no longer on their side, the drones quickly fell to a deadly team back in its normal battle rhythm with the return of Shepard and T'Soni. The team snuck around one last corner, and launched simultaneous attacks, causing the refueling center to explode, eliminating any potential defenses along with it. Feeling the press of time, Shepard quickly pushed the team forward.

The team could see the facility ahead, but a long bridge separated them from the target, with two snipers and two Krogan warriors waiting on the distant end. The hardest part about the assault was the multiple shields and barriers, preventing Shadow from attacking the forces directly. It took a lot of time, because there were just too many places for the enemy to hide. Even the Krogan warriors were not charging across the bridge, staying out of reach across the long open divide. Wrex finally got frustrated and charged across; throwing a warp and blasting away with his shotgun. Shepard yelled, "Shit! Cover us best you can!" and followed along behind in Wrex's wake. The brazen attack did have its benefits. One of the Krogan warriors answered the charge, and as soon as he was in the open, Liara lifted him in the air. Wrex saw the opening and blasted away with a warp, causing a biotic detonation that threw the Krogan from the bridge. Wrex hooked a right turn off the bridge and prepared to charge the remaining Krogan warrior, who had stepped into the open to engage Wrex. As soon as that happened, Garrus had a target and his sniper rifle started to bark. Figuring the Krogan was covered, Shepard ducked behind one of the barriers near the far end of the bridge. She leaned around and warped the closest sniper, knocking its shields down, then continued to chip away at it with her shotgun. Liara reached across the chasm and placed a singularity next to it, which Shepard promptly detonated with a warp. Wrex came charging in, obviously done with the last Krogan, and the last sniper quickly fell, leaving the facility open for entrance.


	14. Into the Valley of Death

Having finally reached their destination, Tali walked to the doorway and opened a terminal.  "Shepard, this is the security system!  We have a couple of options..."  Her fingers continued to fly across the keyboard, so Shepard waited for her to continue.  "I can simply disable the system, or create false alarms across the base from us." She looked to Shepard, who responded with a question.  "Ok, where across the base are we talking?"  "The other system is near the front entrance.  It would probably call additional reserves against the frontal assault."  To Shepard, that was the deciding factor.  "The frontal assault already has to contend with the bulk of forces.  We haven't hit anything we couldn't handle yet, so just disable what you can.  We'll handle the forces inside on our own."  Tali's fingers flew across the keyboard.  "Done."  Shepard looked at the group and they proceeded to the warehouse without a word. 

Wrex blasted the door open and was immediately answered with a hail of gunfire.  He charged in the door, shouting out, "two Destroyers, a Shock, and Salarians!"  Shepard was surprised; "Salarians?  Friend or foe?"  A shotgun blast and a response, "Foe...one less!"  Tali started working up an overload as Shepard ran in through the door, Liara right behind her.  Garrus parked at the door, finding and sniping anything that presented itself; the Salarians were easy...unshielded, and they just ran into the open, shooting...strange for trained STG troops...and were dispatched quickly.  He then concentrated fire on one of the Destroyers, chipping at its shield.  Shepard ducked behind cover, suddenly realizing T'Soni had followed her when the Asari ducked behind the same crate, tucking in next to her to stay in cover.  Sam glared at her, "Liara!  What the hell..."  She didn't even finish the question before Liara leaned out and lifted one of the Destroyers, who Wrex then promptly killed with a warp.  "Tali and Garrus have the two positions by the door; I had no position to fight unless I came in..." Liara smiled as she issued her next statement.  "I thought, where safer to be than by your side?"  Shepard leaned out the other side of their cover and threw out her own lift, this time the Shock Trooper rose in the air.  Back in cover, she glanced at Liara; still not sure what to think of this development, she simply muttered, "Shock Troop. Warp. Two o'clock.  Liara grinned in triumph, leaned out, and warped the Trooper into non existence with the biotic combo.  Tali finally got a line on the remaining Destroyer and overloaded its shield.  The fight ended quickly after that.

Working through the maintenance area, all they found was a Juggernaut, who fell quickly to the combined fire of the five-man team, followed up with two more Salarians in a small security office.  Shepard called a temporary halt to check everyone's status, but everyone was doing well, so far she was the only one to take any serious fire after that damned surprise rocket attack.  She restocked her medigel from the security stores, and everyone slammed another energy drink.  The team then followed a narrow stairwell down to a door labeled Cell Block A.  Inside, they found two cells occupied.  One had a single Salarian inside, Lt Ganto Inmess, who introduced himself as a member of the STG team and told a story of painful and mentally exhausting indoctrination experiments.  As Inmess fell silent, Shepard cussed, and Wrex repeated his vow to make Saren pay.  Shepard looked at Tali, "Hack the door and get him out of there," then looked back to Inmess.  "Lieutenant, what about your fellow soldiers?"  Inmess shook his head.  "They are mostly indoctrinated, I fear.  It would be safest to kill them, as we have no means to securely transport them all and there is no known cure at this point in time."  Wrex positively glowered.  "Indoctrinated, and no cure?  You were right Shepard.  This has to end.  My people will not suffer this fate!"  Shepard's face took on a grave expression.  "Damn Saren.  Leave them...we'll leave them in God's hands."  Shepard was withdrawn as she walked away, moving in silence to a second stairwell on the other end of the room.  A more solemn group climbed the second set of stairs...only to find another cell block, with four more indoctrinated Salarians they also chose to leave behind; with the bomb they were planting, Shepard knew it was a death sentence and it tore at her very soul.

Yet more stairs led the team to a dead-end storage room where two more indoctrinated Salarians met an untimely end.  The Salarians charged the team as soon as the door opened, and Shepard and Wrex quickly stopped the charge via shotgun.  Knowing what was looming in the future, Shepard thought maybe it was the most merciful way to end their lives.  The team then had to backtrack through the disheartening cell blocks, returning all the way to the first security office they had discovered shortly after entering the facility, to find an elevator they had bypassed.  Initially, they had assumed the stairs and elevator would lead to the same place; however, none of the rooms they cleared had an elevator as a potential exit...so, where ever the elevator opened had yet to be explored.  Team Shadow boarded the elevator and rode it up, weapons primed and biotics ready.  When the door opened at its destination, it was not what they expected; the team found themselves in a lab with multiple husks in some form of stasis field generators.  As the team entered the room, they realized there were also two researchers present who did not appreciate the interruption; they had found the main Genophage facility lab and they were not welcome.  

The room suddenly erupted in chaos; weapons fire going every direction, the husks were released from stasis.  Tali and Garrus were both out of their elements, Tali, with no synthetics to hack, pulled her shotgun, and Garrus swapped out his sniper for his seldom used assault rifle.  Wrex, of course, chose to take on the Krogan, Dr Droyas, throwing a warp before charging in, shotgun blazing, yelling "You are enslaving your own people!" as he ran across the room.  Shepard called her biotics, and charged one husk, finishing it with a shotgun blast.  Garrus called out, "Tali and I've got the remaining husks, Shepard.  Take out that damned Asari!"  Liara tossed out a singularity that pulled in a few husks, before having to take cover from the unknown Asari scientist launching a warp.  Shepard threw a warp at the scientist and started blasting away with her Locust SMG, then dived behind cover, swapping over to her shotgun.  She and Liara tag-teamed on the scientist, keeping her off balance, until her shields finally dropped.  Shepard yelled, "Lift!" and Liara immediately responded; as soon as the scientist left the ground, Shepard turned into blue lightening and charged, the resultant biotic detonation killing the scientist... and the charge put her in shotgun range to help Wrex finish off the Krogan doctor.  As the echoes of the last shotgun blasts died out, the room seemed unnaturally quiet.  Shepard rounded up the team and pointed to a medical station at the end of the lab.  "Anyone need to refill medigel, do it now.  I have a feeling things are just going to get more interesting as we go..."  Tali packed some medigel away in one of her many suit storage pockets, but she was the only one.  Liara had a wry smile on her face as she quipped, "interesting is not exactly the word I would use to describe... this..."  Everyone waited expectantly for Shepard to lead on.  The commander stretched her neck, rolled her shoulders, hefted her shotgun and stepped through the next door. 

There was a short dead-end hall to the right, and a long hallway off to the left.  Shepard quietly cautioned, "Barriers up.  Long narrow hallway, no room to maneuver, and a blind corner at the end.  Be ready!"  The team then padded softly up the hall, expecting something to shoot around the corner at any time.  They made it to the corner uneventfully, but when Shepard peeked around the corner, she was practically face to face with two Geth.  She yelled, "Troopers!" as she released a shotgun blast.  Liara quickly sealed the hall with a singularity and Tali started furiously typing on her omnitool.  The first Trooper rounded the corner and got blasted by the little Quarian with an overload.  Its shields fell, and it was immediately sucked into the singularity, where Wrex and Shepard finished it off with two simultaneous close-range shotgun blasts.  The second Trooper had no chance when Shepard, Wrex and Liara stepped around the corner and hit it with three warps followed immediately by weapons fire.  

With the Troopers out of the way, they rounded the corner and found a door.  They opened it and saw an Asari scientist hiding behind a desk.  She immediately popped up when they entered.  "Don't shoot!  Please, I just want to get out of here before it's too late!"  Shepard growled at her, "Everyone in this place is trying to kill me..."  

The scientist sounded on the edge of panic.  "Do I look like a soldier?  I'm a neurospecialist, and this job isn't worth dying for...or worse!  You think indoctrination only affects prisoners?  Sooner or later, Saren will want to dissect my brain too!" 

Shepard, a bit confused, asks, "I thought this was a breeding facility?"  The Asari answered quickly, "Not this level...we're studying Sovereign's effects on organic minds.  At least that's what I assumed...  Saren kept me in the dark as much as possible."

Garrus chipped in, "You helped him, and you didn't even know why?" 

The scientist practically snorted her answer, "I didn't have the option of negotiating.  This position is a little more...permanent than I'd expected.  But I can help you.  This elevator behind me goes to Saren's private lab.  I can get you in!"  The scientist went to the door, swiped the console and the door goes green.  "See!  Full access!  All of Saren's private files.  Are we good?  Can I go?" 

Shepard stared her down, deciding what to do.  Finally, she gives in.  "I'm going to blow this place to hell and gone.  If you want to make it out alive, you'd better start running now."  The scientist tried to stammer out a question, then just broke and took off running. 

Garrus looked at Shepard, shaking his head.  "You enjoyed that, didn't you?" 

Shepard responded with a half-hearted grin.  "Maybe just a little... Let's go check out this private lab..." 

Wrex grunted, "I would have killed her.  You're too nice, Shepard.  Someday that's going to get you killed.  Unless I'm around to protect you, that is."  Shepard punched him in the arm, flashed a grin, and moved on.  Saren's lab was apparently empty, so the team fanned out to search for any useful data.

Suddenly Garrus called out, "Commander, look over here.  It's another beacon!  Like the one on Eden Prime."  Without hesitation, Shepard approached the control panel and activated the beacon. 

The team watched as the beacon powered up, the green aura glowing brighter until it reached out, grabbed the commander, and once more, Shepard was suspended in mid air by alien technology beyond understanding.  She felt the surge of power course through her body, and now familiar images flashed through her mind, though this time it was somehow...different.  Samantha realized she could actually see; the visions were no longer overwhelming; the cipher must have allowed her to actually process the images and understand them.  As before, the pace accelerated until the images became a blur, too fast for her to comprehend individually, but she maintained enough awareness to realize this time there was...more.  This beacon was fully functional.  There would be no truncation of the message; it would be complete.  Suddenly, it was over, the energy fell away and Shepard dropped to one knee on the floor, drained and shaking, a sheen of sweat on her brow.  She stood, staggering slightly, and she felt steadying hands on her shoulders.  Liara whispered soft concern into her ear, "Shepard, are you alright?" 

Samantha turned toward the Asari and received a stabilizing direct gaze.  A firm nod of her head, the commander stood balanced once again.  "I'm good, thanks.  Nothing like when the first beacon's explosion hit me.  Let's move.  We've still got a bomb to set!" 

As they walked up the ramp, a holographic image appeared before them.  Garrus commented, "This is not good...  What is that?  Some kind of VI interface?"  

The ghostly figure before them started to speak.  "You are not Saren...Rudimentary creatures of blood and flesh.  You touch my mind, fumbling in ignorance, incapable of  understanding." 

Garrus spoke quietly, "Shepard, I don't think this is a VI..."  

The holo continued, "There is a realm of existence so far beyond your own you cannot even imagine it.  I am beyond your comprehension.  I am Sovereign!"  

Shepard stepped up, "Sovereign isn't just some Reaper ship Saren found.  It's an actual Reaper!" 

Sovereign spoke, with disdain, "Reaper?  A label created by the Protheans to give voice to their destruction.  In the end, what they chose to call us is irrelevant.  We simply...are.  Organic life is nothing but a genetic mutation, an accident.  Your lives are measured in years and decades.  You wither and die.  We are eternal. The pinnacle of evolution and existence.  Before us, you are nothing.  Your extinction is inevitable.  We are the end of everything." 

Shepard was defiant, refusing to believe in the inevitability of defeat. "There is an entire galaxy of races uniting and ready to face you."  

In his arrogant monotone, Sovereign replied, "Confidence born of ignorance.  The cycle cannot be broken."  

As Sovereign continues, Shepard hears Liara quietly murmur, "Cycle?  Goddess, I was right!"

"The pattern has repeated itself more times than you can fathom.  Organic civilizations rise, evolve, advance.  And at the apex of their glory, they are extinguished.  The Protheans were not the first.  They did not create the Citadel.  They did not forge the mass relays.  They merely found them, the legacy of my kind."  

Shepard was curious, this made no sense!  "Why would you construct the mass relays, then leave them for someone else to find?" 

"Your civilization is based on the technology of the mass relays, our technology.  By using it, your society develops along the paths we desire.  We impose order on the chaos of organic evolution.  You exist because we allow it.  And you will end because we demand it." 

Liara's scientific mind churning, she quickly hypothesized the purpose behind such actions.  This time when she spoke, it was loud and clear.  "They are harvesting us!  Letting us advance to the level they need, then wiping us out..."  Shepard followed up this line of thinking... "What do you want from us?  Slaves?  Resources?"  

"My kind transcends your very understanding. We are each a nation, independent, free of all weakness.  You cannot even grasp the nature of our existence." 

Shepard strove to grasp just that, continuing to query the holograph, "Where did you come from?  Who built you?"  

The holo sounded bored, like it was speaking to group of recalcitrant students, "We have no beginning.  We have no end.  We are infinite.  Millions of years after your civilization has been eradicated and forgotten, we will endure.  We are legion.  The time of our return is coming.  Our numbers will darken the sky of every world.  You cannot escape your doom." 

Still failing to even remotely understand the purpose behind such cyclical destruction, Shepard got angry.  "You're not even alive!  Not really...you're just a machine...and machines can be broken!" 

Sovereign seemed perturbed, if not angry, as he finished, "Your words are as empty as your future.  I am the vanguard of your destruction.  This exchange is over." 

Immediately following Sovereign's last statement, all the windows of Saren's lab exploded inward, littering Shadow with shrapnel of glass.  Just then, Joker piped in, "Commander, we got trouble!  That ship, Sovereign?  It's moving. I don't know what you did down there, but that thing just pulled a turn that would shear any of our ships in half.  It's coming your way, and it's coming hard!  You need to wrap things up in there...fast!"  "Alright people, you heard the man!  Let's get to that breeding facility.  Joker can pick us up after we set the nuke!"  The team hustled back to the elevator and back out through the office onto the ramp.  Though they had killed two Troopers on the way in, there was now a Geth Destroyer in their place, and three Krogan warriors en route, still a bit down the path.  All three biotics nailed the Destroyer, Wrex and Shepard with warps, and Liara, a fraction of a second behind, with a throw that sent the Destroyer off the elevated walkway.  As Garrus and Tali came out, they both ducked down behind the wall for cover, Garrus leaning out with his sniper to dissuade the Krogan from a full charge up the path, and Tali working her omnitool to build up an overload.  Shepard and Wrex combined their barriers and slowly advanced together, tossing out warps until the first Krogan's shield dropped, who Shepard then finished using a throw to send him down to join the Destroyer.  In the meantime, Liara had lifted a second Krogan for Garrus and Tali to chip away at, while using her Shuriken to keep the third warrior at bay.  When the overload was ready, Tali hit the third warrior, dropping his shields and Liara warped him, knocking him back.  By then, Shepard had recovered enough biotic energy to charge, and readying her shotgun, blasted in for the kill, then turned, and with a second close-range shotgun blast, finished off the Krogan now floating over her head.  That opened access to the next doorway, which Shepard opened from the side, then peeked in around the edge.  Nothing.  The way was clear.  The entire team trotted up the long open hallway. 

Kicking open the door at the end of the hall, the entire team stormed out, expecting resistance.  All they found was a single Krogan, easily overwhelmed with the combined firepower of all five team members.  As they continued up a long ramp, their next obstacle was three rocket drones, which were easily defeated by ducking in and out of cover.  Each member took turns exposing themselves to draw fire, then the other four would combine fire to destroy the closest drone.  Before long, all three drones were down.  The team moved quickly toward a platform at the top of the ramp, and found a turret control and an elevator.  Tali went to work deactivating the AA turret control, which must have triggered some type of alarm, because as soon as the AA turret went offline, a Geth Rocket Trooper and one Shock Trooper showed up behind them from the ramp the team had just climbed.  The team turned to face them, Liara launching a stasis field on the Rocket Trooper, so the team could concentrate fire on the second attacker.  The Shock Troop fell quickly, and as they went to work on the Rocket Troop, the elevator behind them suddenly opened, revealing an additional Shock Trooper and two standard Geth Troopers.  Shepard called out, "Liara with me!  Rest get the newbies!"  With combined biotics, Shepard and Liara made relatively quick work of the Rocket Trooper then turned and joined the battle ongoing behind them.  Wrex charged straight in to the newly arrived Shock Trooper, leading with warp, followed up with a head butt and close range shotgun blast, knocking the Trooper to the ground.  One of the standard Troopers was busy bouncing shells off the back of Wrex's barrier, while the second was slowly advancing on Garrus and Tali.  Shepard and Liara turned in time to see Wrex finish off the Shock Troop by crushing its head with an armored boot, so they concentrated fire on the Geth advancing on Garrus.  Once the entire team was focused on just the two standard Geth Troopers, the battle rapidly drew to a close, and Team Shadow jumped on the elevator and took a short ride up. 

Shepard glanced across all her team members, noting strain and weariness in all of their faces.  _We need to end this soon or someone's going to get hurt._ "We're getting close.  This elevator opens to the breeding grounds.  We'll set the nuke and blow this taco stand."  At a very puzzled look from Liara, Shepard laughed, "I'll explain later."  The elevator door opened onto a short hallway, ending all discussion.  The group advanced cautiously, expecting an attack as they approached the corner; they were not disappointed.  Fortunately it was just a couple of those frog-like hopping things, easily suspended in a lift, and taken out by a swift bark from Garrus.  They transited the first trench and stepped out into the center courtyard.  Shepard told everyone on the team to either slam a drink or eat an energy bar while the Normandy got into position.  "We need to be ready to defend the site while they download the nuke..."  Then she got on the comm, "Kirrahe, we're at the rendezvous point.  What's your status?"  A static filled response indicated the AA guns had been loaded with explosives, and the team was ready to detonate on Shepard's mark.  "Do it, and I'll call in the Normandy!"  A quick call to Joker and the ship began its descent as a huge explosion sounded from the opposite side of the courtyard.  Once the nuke was in place, Kaidan started prepping the arming and timing mechanisms.  Shepard got on the radio, "Ash, Kaidan is prepping the bomb now, you and Kirrahe need to get to the rendezvous point ASAP!"   

"No can do, Skipper!  We're pinned down here and can't get to the exit!"  Ashley's voice sounds resigned, "Do what you need to do, Shepard."  

"No way I'm leaving without you, Ash!  Joker, can you get in there and grab them?"  

"Too hot, Commander!  Way too much going on up there!"  

Kaidan piped in, "I'm still working on the arming sequence, Shepard.  Bomb won't be ready for a few minutes yet...Go get 'em!" 

"Alright, let's move!  Kill fast, move fast...we're on a tight schedule!"  Shepard took off running, relying on the team to keep up with her...  As she blasted into the trench on the opposite side of the courtyard, she jerked up short and dived to the side for cover as one of the Geth hoppers fired the first volley.  Liara saw it, quickly disabled it with a lift, and Garrus dropped it with a well placed sniper shot.  The trench was not going to be easy; even with the first hopper down, a second was still blasting away, and it was accompanied by two Krogan warriors and a Krogan Warlord.  Tali drew her shotgun for defense and started working her omnitool for an overload to take down the Warlord's shields, just as Wrex launched a warp at him.  Shepard leaned out of cover to toss a lift at the second hopper, and Garrus wasted no time removing a second threat from the scene.  Only the Krogan remained in the way.  Seeing the source of the biotic lift, the Warlord charged Shepard as Wrex charged the Warlord, and the three ended up in a chaotic pile of ruthless hand-to-hand combat.  Anyone who didn't know the commander would wonder how a little human could hold her own in such a conflict; such doubts plagued the Warlord... and that proved his undoing.  Because of his misperception, when Wrex charged in, the Warlord changed his focus from the commander to Wrex, leaving Shepard wide open to do what she willed.  That 'will' included pulling on her biotics for an explosive charge, accompanied by a shotgun butt, then blast...all to an unprotected side while the Warlord's attention was centered on Wrex.  

With Shepard, Wrex and the Warlord so closely entangled, to avoid injuring one of their own, Garrus, Tali and Liara were forced to focus on the remaining two Krogan warriors.  Liara tossed a lift at one, and the three concentrated weapons fire on the warrior remaining.  Once his shields dropped, Liara trapped him in a singularity and focus shifted back to the other warrior who was now released from the lift.  Again using concentrated fire, they delayed that Krogan long enough for Liara to recharge her biotics.  She tossed a warp at the singularity, causing a biotic explosion that killed the Krogan inside it, and completely dropped the shields of the last remaining warrior. 

The Warlord raged in pain at the pesky little human, who somehow dropped his shield and managed to penetrate his armor with a damned shotgun!  He swung his shotgun with all his might at Shepard's head.  She ducked to the side and absorbed the impact on her shoulder instead, but the force was still enough to send her sprawling across the floor with her barrier failing.  Fully exposed, she saw the Warlord raising his shotgun... _This is going to freaking hurt like hell!..._ as she tried to roll to cover.  She heard the blast, but felt nothing, so quickly regained her feet and looked back.  Wrex had gripped the Warlord's arm and shoved it upward...the blast she heard was from Wrex's shotgun as he planted it under the enemy Krogan's chin and removed his face.  Neither one being the type to stop in the middle of a fight, they turned to see their compatriots dropping the shields of the only remaining foe.  Shepard immediately tossed a lift, and Wrex quickly followed with a warp, ending the confrontation.  Short on time, Team Shadow pressed forward, everyone climbing into yet another elevator at the end of the trench. 

Meeting no resistance, the team rolled out of the elevator and with a quick glance, headed up a ramp on the left to an upper level of the facility.  A Geth dropship roared over top, heading toward the courtyard, the nuke... and Kaidan.  Shepard got on the comm, "LT, we just spotted a troop ship inbound to your location."  

Kaidan replied, "It's already here, and bleeding Geth all over the bomb site."  

Shepard queried, "Can you hold them off?"  

The LT sounded desperate, "There's too many, Commander... I don't think we can hold 'em...there's no time!  I'm activating the nuke!"  

Shepard, angry, shouted, "What the hell are you doing, Alenko?" 

"Making sure this bomb goes off...no matter what!  It's done, Commander.  Go get Ashley and get the hell out of here."  

When she heard Kaidan's recommendation, Ashley vehemently protested, "The hell with that!  Go back and get Alenko!"  

Shepard realized there was no way out of this one, "It's not that easy Ash!  It's not just you... it's Kirrahe and his men as well.  Hold out, Chief, we're on our way!  Joker, get the Normandy in the air and be ready to pick us up by the AA tower!"  Shepard made the decision, "I'm sorry, Kaidan..." 

The lieutenant's last response sounded resigned.  "It's ok, Commander...I know it's the right choice.  I'd do the same..." 

 _Damn it!_  "Let's move!"  Shepard bolted to the left, taking one more elevator ride to the roof.  The team emerged from the elevator into a battle already in progress.  Capt Kirrahe's remaining forces had whittled the Geth down to where only three Shock Troopers and two Destroyers remained.  Catching them from the rear, the team quickly dismantled their defenses, with relatively quick kills.  As the guns fell silent, the sound of a personal hovercraft broke the quiet and Saren arrived on site, launching biotic attacks and weapons fire from above.  The team scrambled for cover as Tali sabotaged Saren's weapon; Saren cast it aside, jumping from the platform to the roof.  As Saren approached, the commander, barrier up, SMG in hand, stepped out of cover to confront him.  His barrier was amazingly strong, as three rounds from the submachine gun cause it to waiver but not drop.   

Saren started to speak, "This has been an impressive diversion, Shepard.  My Geth were utterly convinced the Salarians were the real threat."  Saren tried to explain his reasoning; that the Reapers were invincible, using the Protheans as an example, that the only way to save lives was to become subservient to them, to prove useful to the Reapers so they would not kill everyone.  

"Is submission not preferable to extinction?"  Shepard didn't buy his argument and made her position clear. "I'd rather die than live under the rule of those machines!"  

After a few more exchanges, Saren realized Shepard would not be swayed.  "You would undo my work.  You would doom our entire civilization to complete annihilation, and for that, you must die!" 

Saren jumped back to his hover platform and started blasting away with his biotics and rockets from the hovercraft.  Shepard's barrier took a big hit, but held, as the rest of the team started hammering on Saren's barriers.  Shepard advanced her position, dashing past a pile of crates to get some cover, and continued firing on Saren.  She tossed a warp, finally dropping his barrier, and Saren responded with a volley of rockets, expending all the munitions remaining on his hovercraft.  The resultant explosions stunned everyone on the team, knocking most of them to the ground, including Shepard.  Saren took advantage of the respite and closed the distance to the commander, jumped from his platform, grabbed her, and dragged her to the edge of the roof.  Saren then picked her up by the neck and suspended her over the edge, his eyes blazing in anger, his unnaturally tight grip choking her and causing her vision to blur.  Shepard was beginning to gasp for breath when two thing happened; first the warning siren for the nuke started blaring, and second, the team had started to recover, and Liara got off a couple of shots with her Shuriken SMG.  The first distracted Saren enough to loosen his grip and Samantha sucked in a lungful of air; the second caused him to turn toward Liara, dragging the commander away from a multistory drop and back over the firm surface of the roof.  He looked back toward Shepard just in time for her fist to crash into the side of his jaw, staggering him backward and causing him to drop her.  He beat a hasty retreat to his hovercraft and lifted off to return to Sovereign. 

As soon as Saren departed, the Normandy flew into view and eased in close, the loading ramp directly off the edge of the roof.  Shepard collected her team, all of Kirrahe's men still surviving, and boarded the Normandy.  Shepard ran immediately to a window, watching Virmire fade in the distance as the nuke obliterated much more than just the breeding facility.  Shepard blinked, her eyes glistening, she whispered to herself, "Goodbye, Kaidan."  Ashley stood behind her, slightly off to one side so she could also see the planet vanishing behind them, tears in her eyes as she recited a verse of one of her favorite Sir Alfred Tennyson's poems, The Charge of the Light Brigade. 

Cannon to right of them, Cannon to left of them, Cannon behind them, Volley'd and thunder'd;  
Storm'd at with shot and shell, While horse and hero fell, They that had fought so well,  
Came thro' the jaws of death, Back from the mouth of Hell, All that was left of them,  
Left of six hundred. 

After a long moment of silence, Shepard turned to the Chief, eye to eye, and placed a hand on her shoulder in silent consolation.  After a few seconds, Samantha closed her eyes, dropped her head, and whispered, "All that was left of them."  She gently gripped Ashley's shoulder for a few seconds, then dropped her hand and walked away in silence.

 


	15. The Weight of Command

Shepard walked to her quarters and removed her armor, then proceeded to the med bay. As the door closed behind her, Karin looked up with a simple greeting. "Commander." Shepard hesitated momentarily, and then stoically made the required statement to the ship's chief medical officer. "Dr Chakwas. I am sorry to report that Lt Kaidan Alenko was killed in action on Virmire. No remains available for disposition to the family." Karin pursed her lips, then schooled her expression, looked directly at Samantha and responded, "Understood, Commander. I'll make the final annotations and close out the Lieutenant's medical records for inclusion in the death notification to Alliance HQ." After a brief pause, she asked her friend. "How are you?" For the moment, Samantha chose to ignore the true purpose of Karin's question and answered the medical doctor instead, "I took a hard rocket, dropped my shields, and consequently took multiple rounds to my right side. Hurt like hell." Karin motioned her up onto one of the treatment tables, and continued, with a cool look in her eyes, "That's not what I meant, and you know it, but if you're not ready to talk about it, I won't press. You know how to find me when you need...Now, compression shirt off, Commander, and let's get you patched up."

Sam pulled the shirt off over her head, wincing as the pressure of the shirt was removed from the wounds. Now bare on top, she laid back on the table for Karin to start work. As Karin removed the temporary medigel patch and cleaned the wound, Sam hissed. "We had to destroy a Krogan cloning facility. The position was being overrun. Kaidan stayed back to guard a nuke...to make sure it would go off and complete the mission." Karin's hands paused only momentarily... "I see..." and she focused on her work, starting the bone stitcher. "You have some stress fractures on the ribs, must have been high impact rounds. Between that and the muscle stitching we'll have to do, you'll be sore for a few days, but you'll only need light duty for 24 hours. Armored or not, might be a good idea to keep a compression shirt on for the same 24 hours to minimize rib movement." Sam closed her eyes, steadied herself, and spoke with no emotion, "I had to pick, Karin...I could have gone back and supported the position, cleared out the Geth...but the Chief was also pinned down, a separate location, with a full Salarian squad. Total of a dozen folks surviving. I had to pick the 12 over the one." Sam fell silent and didn't continue...didn't tell her that Kaidan agreed with the call, that Ashley was angry at the choice and would most likely be suffering survivor's guilt. Sam was the commander. It was her decision, her pain to bear, and it wouldn't be right to dump it in Karin's lap.

The bone stitcher finished; Karin set the muscle stitcher in motion. "I'm sorry, Commander. I know the choice seems obvious, but I also know how you care for those under your command. It could not have been easy, to leave one of your own behind." Just then, the door slid open and Liara started to enter the med bay. When she realized the commander was laying on the treatment table half naked, she immediately stopped and turned around, blushing, "Oh! I am sorry! I did not realize you were in here getting treatment, Commander!" Samantha laughed softly at Liara's bashfulness. "It's alright, Liara. Feel free to walk through to your room...unless you're here to see the doc..." Suddenly, as if she had not considered that possibility before, Sam's face looked more serious, and her tone more concerned. "You didn't get injured, did you?" Liara was rooted to the spot with indecision, facing away from the commander, torn between wanting to retreat, wanting to run to her room, and trying to figure out if it was rude to answer the commander's question without turning to face her. The pause was long enough, Sam encouraged a response, "T'Soni?" Liara turned a bright shade of purple at this point, finally blurting out, "I do not understand military protocol! I honestly don't know if it is impolite to face you or disrespectful to not face you when answering the question, or if it is rude, or... By the Goddess, you're naked! How am I supposed to act?" At this, Karin dropped her eyes and raised her hand, hiding the smile ready to explode into laughter. Samantha had no such restraint and laughed out loud. "I'm sorry, Liara, I shouldn't laugh at your discomfort, but it's just so damn...refreshing! No worries. Trust me; every member of the ground crew has seen me, at one time or another, in some degree of disrobement, thanks to my penchant for getting injured in the field." Still flustered, Liara bleated, "But that does not answer my question!" Frustrated now, Sam assumed her command voice. "T'Soni, get over here and answer MY question...Did you get injured and not tell me?" Liara, who had been slouching like she was trying to disappear, bolted upright and, almost involuntarily, spun on her heal at the unexpected change in tone. She did not move, but looked directly into the commander's eyes and answered, "No, ma'am, I did not get injured during the mission, other than the head ringing we all took when Saren launched every rocket remaining on that damn hover platform."

That statement got Karin's attention, and she turned to Liara, beckoning her over and running a quick scan. "Any headache, blurred vision?" Liara, relieved to no longer be looking at Samantha, lying on a table, breasts exposed. _Fit, strong, toned muscles...I want to just...touch... oh, Goddess, help me!_ shook her head and answered shakily, "No, really, I am fine." Karin acquiesced with a smile, "The scans don't indicate anything, so I have to agree with her, Commander. Unlike you, she apparently escaped unscathed." Sam was relieved, and let Liara off the hook. "Very good. Liara, feel free to retire to your room, I'll check in with you when the doc is done with me here." Sam smiled in light amusement as Liara sighed in relief and practically bolted from the room. "I don't get that girl, Karin. Asari supposedly have fewer hang-ups with sexuality and nakedness than humans, and when I woke up the morning after our mandated rest period, she was stuck to me like white on rice...I could hardly move, she was hugging me so tight. Then something like this happens, and she's embarrassed as all get out."

"That's not a fair comparison, Commander. In that situation, you were both clothed, and it was private; nor was I in the room during all that. I'm sure she would be just fine with other Asari, and while she is very intelligent, she is still young, and very much aware of our cultural differences. She probably has yet to figure out how to deal with them. Be gentle with her." Samantha smiled wistfully, "No worries on that account, Doctor."

Karin returned to Shepard's bedside and, its work being complete, moved the muscle stitcher out of the way. "I'll just put a few skin patches on the more torn up spots, do a little skin regeneration, and you'll be done. I'll do some soft tissue regeneration while I'm at it. Care to tell me how you got the lovely bruise necklace you now have adorning your neck?" The commander relayed the story of Saren, ending with Liara's well-timed Shuriken shots causing him to turn, dropping Samantha on the roof, rather than the multi-story fall off the side of the building. Sam ended with a smile, "That damned Asari is starting to make a habit of saving my ass. It's bad for my reputation!" Karin laughed, "I'm glad someone is watching out for you, Commander! I think I'm going to like Dr T'Soni very much... very much indeed! Now, go make your promised visit and get out of my med bay! I have work to do." Sam got up and put her compression shirt back on, grimacing at the initial pressure, then relaxing. "Ahhh, much better. Thanks, Doc. And Karin...no, it never becomes easy to leave anyone behind...no matter how many times I have been forced to do it." The commander suddenly looked a bit more somber and mumbled, "But I have promises to keep, and miles to go before I sleep." Karin looked at her once more and quirked an eyebrow in question. "Twentieth century human poet, Robert Frost. Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening. It... seemed appropriate."

Karin sighed, "That it is, Commander. That it is."

The commander knocked on Liara's door and was greeted by a melodious, "Come in." Sam tapped the door panel and stepped into the room; Liara was seated at her little desk, busy typing away. Sam moved into the room, plopping onto a spare crate, showing the courtesy to not interrupt her work. When she finished her thought, Liara turned and bashfully smiled, a light blush still on her cheeks. "Hello, Samantha. All done with Karin, I see." Her mood took a downswing as she asked, "How are you? You look... distracted."

Sam sighed, "Seems to be a popular question today. I really don't know yet. Still processing, and have too much to do to make time to think about it right now. Sorry to say, but this can't be a long visit. I just have a couple things to run by you."

Liara looked disappointed, "Ok, Commander, what do you need?"

Sam shook her head and glanced down, before returning to meet Liara's gaze. "That doesn't mean you have to call me Commander. Just because we may be talking business, it's still a private conversation, and I'd like to keep it that way... conversational. I know you have no military background, so you have no cultural experience to base this on... but keeping things 'casual' per say equates to 'off the record' and it gives people permission to speak freely without fear of retribution or punishment for saying something I may not agree with. Do you understand?"

Liara contemplated the information for a moment then nodded, "Yes, that makes perfect sense to me. So, what do we need to discuss 'off the record' as you say?"

Sam took a deep breath and looked directly eye to eye with Liara. "The beacon. I could tell the information was not truncated like on Eden Prime. There was...simply... more. I don't know how else to explain it, but I know it's more complete."

Liara was excited, "So, you want to meld and sort the data! Figure out what info we now have!"

Sam was hesitant. "Yes, and no... Yes, we need to do it, but we have to be careful here. We've already melded, and I hate to say it, but I don't want the crew to know. It may seem like we tried to hide it."

Liara burst out, "But we didn't! It just happened...it needed to happen! We did nothing wrong! I refuse to believe that!"

Shepard interrupted her, raising a hand to signal a break. "I know that, so do you, and so does Karin... but that won't change perceptions of the crew. So, here's my suggestion. We wait for the debrief, which will be soon, within the next couple of hours, and we'll meld in there, in front of the entire ground crew. It's still not ideal, because the main objector the first time was...well, you know..." Samantha tapered off, unable to finish the sentence.

Liara finished for her, "Kaidan, and now he's not here to stop it anymore."

Samantha let out a long sigh. "Yes, exactly. I don't think anyone will object though, because everyone knows you now. So, I think it's the best solution. You just need to report everything you see, including everything we've already discussed, just like it's our first time."

Liara nodded, understanding exactly where the commander was going. "And, I'll be sure to have an energy drink before hand, so hopefully I won't experience the exhaustion I had the first time...plus you should be much more receptive this time, the meld should go much smoother."

Sam looked troubled for just an instant, then her expression cleared. "I really only have one concern with this...don't take this badly...it's a good thing...but you can't lie worth a shit." Sam had to laugh at Liara's shocked expression. "It's ok, Liara, like I said, it's a good thing! Just don't ever play poker. Anyway, don't bring the meld up...just let me handle it, and play along best you can. Sound good?"

Liara went from shocked to puzzled, and asked, "Poker?"

Sam shook her head... "Oh gosh...um...A human card game, where you bet on your cards...but you have to keep the quality of your hand...um the cards you hold, and the strength of your play... a secret, so the other folks in the game will stay in and bet against you. If you hide it well, you can bluff with a weak hand and make other people drop out, or if you hide a great hand, people stay in and keep raising the bet. In the end, you can get even more money from them." Sam looked at Liara questioningly, not sure if her explanation made any sense at all to the Asari.

Liara smiled, "Yes, I understand, we have similar games in Asari culture, but your assumption would be correct. I have never been very good at them. However, in this case, I feel if you lead, I will be able to play along."

"Ok, good. I think we'll get through this just fine...which brings me to my next topic... of getting through things. I wanted to thank you...seems you are developing a knack for pulling my ass out of the fire whenever I am facing impending doom caused by a long fall to a premature death." Liara once again looked puzzled, so Sam explained. "Ok, too cryptic. I'll give you that one. First time you saved me from a volcano, and today you saved me from a multi-story fall."

Liara honestly still looked baffled, "What are you talking about, Shepard?"

Sam's eyebrows went up. "Really? You don't know?" Liara just shrugged and shook her head no, so Sam had to explain the same story she had recently related to Karin.

When Shepard got to the part about her dangling out past the edge of the roof, Liara paled considerably. "By the Goddess, Shepard! I...I didn't see that from where I was standing! How did I not see that? I had no idea you were not still over the roof! What if he had dropped you, instead of turning?" Liara was actually trembling, "I could very well have killed you!" It was too much for her to contemplate, tears started forming in Liara's eyes and Shepard couldn't stand it.

Sam jumped up and went to her, kneeling in front of her chair, clasping Liara's hands. "Hey, Blue...it's ok! No worries! If he had dropped me off the building, you just would have snatched me back with one of those tremendous pulls of yours." Sam smiled, trying to lift the mood.

Liara was having none of it. She got up and started pacing, almost frantically. She spoke quickly, "It is no joking matter, Samantha Shepard! I do not see any humor in this situation at all. We lost Kaidan, and I had no idea I was so close to losing you as well! I... "

Sam intercepted her, standing in her path and cupping both sides of Liara's face with her hands, forcing Liara to stop. "Liara! I'm ok! He didn't drop me! Sometimes, when you do the things we do, you just have to accept that a little luck goes a long way..." Sam ducked her head down at an angle, and gently tried to guide Liara's face to they would be looking at one another. Even though Liara resisted, trying to look down to hide the tortured look in her eyes, Sam was persistent, and won the battle of wills. Her piercing gaze eventually penetrated the clouded expression in Liara's eyes. Sam whispered softly, one more time, "It's ok, Liara. Believe me." before gently wiping the tears from Liara's face, then hugging her tight. Liara clung on for dear life, and they remained that way for a few moments before Sam managed to break the embrace. "Liara, I really need to go. We'll talk later, though, Ok?"

Liara answered meekly, "Yes, of course Shepard...I am sorry."

"No apologies, T'Soni. It's an emotional time for all of us right now." Sam caressed a damp blue cheek, "Later, Liara, I promise," and headed down to the personal lockers in the armory.

\-------------------------------

"Joker, point the nose to Noveria, please. When we get close, try to time the jump so we arrive at first light. I want a good night's sleep and whole day in front of us when we land. Also, have the ground team report to the conference room in one hour for the Virmire debrief, and then make a ship wide announcement for a memorial service at 1600 hrs for Lt Alenko." After a brief pause, she heard, "Roger that, Commander." Nothing more. Sam really hoped Noveria gave them something; it was the only lead they had left. Shepard grabbed the box she had picked up and opened Kaidan's locker. He really didn't have many personal items, based on what was in his locker; his entire life was the Alliance. She slowly pulled everything out, removing all personalization and placing the reverted standard issue Alliance weapons and armor in the appropriate cleaning or storage bins. All personal items, insignias, badges, etc, Samantha collected and placed in the box she brought.

She remembered the story Kaidan told her about how he got trained as a biotic. Kaidan had been one of the lucky ones. He had developed biotic potential instead of terminal brain cancer after his Mom had been exposed to element zero, eezo, while he was in utero. When he was old enough, his family packed him off to Biotic Acclimation and Temperance Training, where he met a beautiful girl named Rahna. Things went badly right from the start. The Alliance, in their infinite wisdom, had decided to hire Turians as the biotics instructors, even though the First Contact War hadn't been over for even ten years yet. Kaidan's instructor was a veteran, who introduced himself as the Turian "at the helm of the dreadnought that killed your father." Even with an ass as an instructor, Kaidan managed to keep his cool...until the instructor physically hurt Rahna by breaking her arm when she physically reached for a glass of water, instead of using her biotics. Kaidan rushed to her defense, only to receive a beating from the instructor. When the instructor pulled a knife and slashed him, Kaidan lost control, releasing a full biotic kick, killing his instructor. After a brief investigation, the Alliance closed the school and sealed all the records to hide their mistakes. Kaidan fell off the radar for a bit, but lacking any better options, ended up joining the Alliance Marines in 2173. Though he was three years Shepard's senior in age, he didn't join the Alliance until a year after she did. Had he joined immediately after BAaTT school closed down, Shepard's and Kaidan's positions may have been reversed and things could have been very different. She was going to miss his soulful eyes and his solid mission recommendations and feedback.

Samantha shook herself out of her reverie and continued to pack up Kaidan's things. She paused over a picture of Kaidan and his father...she had no idea when it was taken, but it was somewhere in Vancouver, Canada. Probably somewhere near where Kaidan's father had retired. She remembered Kaidan always had a fondness for bacon wrapped beef filets and a bottle of beer, saying something about the traditional food of his people. She smiled a sad, half-smile and put the picture in the box. She thought it depressing a man's entire life could fit in a shoe box, and they didn't even have a body to send home to his father. She had no idea how she was going to write the notification letter; Kaidan wasn't just one of the troops, he was a fellow officer and a friend.

As Shepard turned to walk away, she realized Ash was standing there, silently watching, her face a mix of anger and sorrow. Samantha set the box down on the armory workbench and walked over to Ashley. "How you doing, Ash?"

Ashley looked stricken, "I...I can't believe Alenko didn't make it. How could we just leave him down there?"

The Commander shook her head. "He set the damn countdown on that bomb. There was no time, I couldn't save you both, and I hate it." Sam knew what was coming. She'd seen survivor’s guilt many times...sometimes experienced it personally, and knew it was a natural reaction.

Ash blamed herself. "It should have been me, Commander. You know that."

Shepard shook her head, trying to be patient with the grieving Ashley. "Chief, don't second guess me, and don't sell yourself short. You're a hell of a soldier, and as I told you on the ground, it wasn't just you. I had to pick the 12 over the one. There wasn't really a choice."

Ashley still couldn't come to terms with it. "I...I'm sorry Commander. you saved my life. I'm grateful for that, but I would have gladly stayed behind if it would have saved the LT."

"I know, Ash. We all feel the same. It's who we are." Shepard's face became granite. "Kaidan's blood is on Saren's hands, and when we find that son-of-a-bitch again, we'll make him pay." Shepard shook herself, grief replacing the anger. "I'll see you at the debrief, Chief. I know it's tough, but try to bring your game face."

Ashley looked at her, stood a little taller and straightened out her shoulders. A bit of angry fire showed in her eyes as she said, "Aye Aye, Commander." Ashley thought about how kind the Lieutenant had been. It seemed conflicted to her, that such a seemingly gentle soul, who always seemed to put others before himself, could be the same man who could tear an enemy apart at the molecular level with little or no regret. He had been the first to welcome the alien crew members on board, making sure they had what they needed, went out of his way to make them feel at home. Ashley had been busy being a xenophobe, and Alenko was busy making sure they knew their way around the mess hall. It just didn't seem fair that he should be the one to go. Of course, Ashley was well aware of how real life was seldom fair.

\-------------------------------

The Virmire debrief had been long, and they were close to wrapping it up when they finally visited the issue of the new beacon they discovered. Garrus chimed in, "Commander, from what I heard about Eden Prime, your second experience was a significant improvement?"

Shepard agreed. "I think it had a lot to do with the addition of the cipher. Once my head settled down, the cipher allowed the visions to come into sharper focus...and I'm pretty sure the second beacon added more data." Shepard contemplated in silence for a moment, and then asked a question. "Liara, you offered once to meld with me, to join our minds to help me sort the beacon data in my head. I can actually make sense of the images now, but they still don't mean anything to me, maybe you would recognize them... Is that offer still good? Are you still willing?"

Liara hesitated, the crew interpreting her nervousness as nothing more than a natural byproduct of contemplating a meld with a personality such as Commander Shepard. No one thought anything of it, and their deception seemed to be working. She glanced around nervously before replying. "Yes, the beacon in Saren's lab was similar to the one you found on Eden Prime. Combining them both with the cipher, I should be able to help you put all those pieces together."

Shepard stood up and walked to the center of the room. "We may not have much time...we don't know how long Saren has had the data to try to puzzle it all out, but we have you. We should be able to beat him at his own game with that advantage. Let's do it. Just tell me what I need to do."

Liara stood and joined her. "This requires physical contact, Commander.   We must join hands... then close your eyes and relax. Focus on the beacon images, Commander." Liara's eyes went black as she spoke the words, "Embrace eternity!" and initiated the meld. { _Samantha, focus on the beacon images. Show me everything again._ } Liara narrated aloud, for the sake of the crew, "It is a distress call. A message sent out across the Prothean Empire. Goddess, the destruction! A warning against the Reapers. But the warning came too late. { _That's very good, Samantha. Breath, relax, control the rate of flow. You are doing very well! Remember to concentrate, and when we get done, remember to let me close the link slowly, please._ } There are images, locations. Places I recognized from my research! The conduit is on Ilos! Saren needs to find the Mu Relay... It is the only way to get to Ilos, but it has been lost for centuries..."

Liara continued, "I'm going to withdraw from the link slowly now, Commander. We must ease out gently so as to not cause any type of neural shock to either of our systems...let me terminate the link from my side." Samantha relaxed and gave complete control to Liara, who withdrew softly, until Sam felt a sudden distinct pang of loneliness. Had she not been clutching Liara's hands, Samantha would have thought she had gone. As Liara retreated from the meld, her eyes returned to crystal blue, unusually bright with triumph. As Samantha reopened her eyes, she was mesmerized by the expression of... self-confidence... on Liara's face. Sam totally forgot the rest of the crew, temporarily suspended in time, admiring the rare view. Liara's satisfied smile faltered slightly as Samantha's expression puzzled her. She wondered if she had done something wrong when terminating the meld, if she had left Samantha somehow... stuck? Had her excitement about being able to identify Ilos caused her to be careless? As the worrying thoughts raced through her mind, her grip on Samantha's hands tightened, and she squeaked out "Commander, are you all right?"

The increased pressure on her hands was enough to break Samantha's self imposed trance. She blinked, and then replied, "Uhm... Yeah, I'm fine. Sorry about that.... That was...amazing, Liara." She hesitated before continuing, dropping Liara's hands. "So, Ilos. You recognize it, but don't know where it is? I've never heard of the Mu Relay... You don't just...lose...a star system!"

Liara shook her head. "The records are very old. The system had an unstable star that went supernova. It blew the system apart, tossing the relay to parts unknown, somewhere into deep space. It has never been found, at least not that we know of."

Garrus tossed his hat in the ring. "Great, so we need to find a relay that hasn't been seen in centuries, and it's us on one-each Normandy, versus Saren and an entire fleet of Geth, in a race to the finish. Not the best odds, Shepard."

Shepard disagreed, "Ah, but you're forgetting... he may not even know what he's looking for yet. Saren doesn't have Liara...so maybe he hasn't even identified the planet as Ilos. I'll bet we've got the jump on him; but how the heck do we find it?" The commander looked at Liara. "No pressure, Dr T'Soni, but you're our research expert. This one is all you. Let me know how I can help."

Having nothing to do with the meld being too taxing this time, Liara suddenly felt like she was going to faint all over again. _All me? No pressure?_

Shepard wrapped things up. "I guess we're finished here... just a couple of announcements. First, our next destination is Noveria in the Horse Head Nebula. Reports of Geth activity, so who knows what we'll find there. I do know we'll probably find a hostile bureaucracy, that doesn't recognize Alliance authority and hardly recognizes Spectres, so we won't get a lot of cooperation. Technically they are outside of Citadel Space, but there is an agreement granting me privileges, but the agreement has never been tested. We'll be able to dock the ship, and won't have to rely on a Mako drop, so I expect everyone to be ready to go. Initial team will be myself, Liara, and Garrus. Ash, you'll have Team 2 if we need backup, with Wrex and Tali. We've got a couple of days so get rested up. Be ready to roll when we make port."

Shepard glanced around...no questions, so she continued. "Second, I expect to see all of you at the memorial service for Lt Alenko, 1600 hrs if you didn't hear the announcement."

"Dismissed."

Sam returned to her quarters and started writing the letter to Kaidan's father. _God, I hate these things!_ After an hour, she still wasn't completely happy with it, but had to give up to get into her Navy Dress Blues for Kaidan's memorial service. _I'll finish it after the memorial, after I get some food in my stomach...and maybe a beer. Scratch the beer...that's a really bad idea._ As Sam buttoned up her jacket, she started practicing what she was going to say at the ceremony, when her door chimed. She stopped and faced the door. "Come."

Liara walked in, face down, reading a datapad as she walked in. "Shepard, I've been doing some research on Noveria and the companies invested..." Liara's head raised and her eyes drank in the commander standing before her. Her steps slowed, and her hands slowly lowered, the datapad forgotten. "Goddess! Commander!" Liara stopped dead in her tracks. "You...You look...magnificent!" In the time she had been on the Normandy, she had never seen Samantha in anything but her utility uniform or her armor. In either of those she looked... powerful, sexy...as they augmented her angular, muscular physique. But this...this was obviously the formal uniform, and it looked vastly different. The gold trim highlighting its smooth dark blue lines, the way the cut fit her body, her battle ribbons earned with blood and pain proudly arrayed across a strong chest...It commanded respect...yet more intriguing, it showed Liara a refined side of Samantha she had never seen. Beneath the rough and tumble, beneath the guns and armor and utility pockets, there was most definitely a woman. Samantha, by merely changing her clothes, had moved from strong sexy to womanly sensual, the uniform surprisingly softening her lines and definitely accenting her more feminine side. Liara found herself totally unprepared for the emotions and desires that evoked.

"Normandy to T'Soni...You were saying? Research...Noveria...investors?" A quick light smile flashed across Sam's face, but she did not have time to deal with a distracted Asari at the moment...the memorial service was only 15 minutes from now. Still getting no response from the entranced Asari, Shepard took on a firm tone. "Liara!"

That startled the researcher, and a deep blush of embarrassment rushed up her neck and across her face. "Samantha...I am sorry... I have just never seen you in...this," indicating the uniform with a feeble motion of her hand. Liara finally recovered enough of her senses to continue. "In a formal dress uniform. You carry it...very well."

Sam was in full commander mode. "Nice to be appreciated, but I'm short on time. Memorial service in fifteen. What have you got?"

Sensing the unusual abruptness in Samantha's speech, Liara turned to business. "Sorry. I was researching Noveria and turned up some interesting information. Saren is a major stockholder in Binary Helix, and my mother is listed as his Executor for all business operations on Noveria."

That brought Sam up short. "Benezia is Saren's agent on Noveria?"

Liara looked at the floor, answering in a hesitant, quiet voice, "Yes, Commander."

One look at the expression on Liara's face and Shepard quickly realized the implications. _Holy shit._ Sam needed time to think about her approach to this news, so put Liara off. "Ok, we obviously need to discuss this, but we've got to get to the service. Join me for a private dinner, here in my cabin, tonight at 1900 hrs, and we'll talk. Acceptable?"

Sam noted the worried crease in Liara's forehead as she responded, "Yes, Commander. I'll see you at the service, and then I'll be here, as requested."

Sam felt she had somehow distressed the Asari with her request, and softened her stance, stepping to Liara and caressing a cheek before speaking. "Don't fret, Liara, we're just talking... and it will just be you and me. We'll figure it out. I gotta go. See ya soon, Blue!" Sam almost left Liara alone in her quarters before Liara snapped out of it and caught up, leaving along with Shepard to attend the service.

Liara had never been to a military memorial service and felt rather out of place. Dr Chakwas sensed her discomfort and caught her attention, waving her over. All the Navy personnel stood together in one group, most of the Marines in another, with a small contingent of four standing separately off to the side in a straight line. The outside two carried rifles, and the center two had flags; one was the Alliance flag, but Liara did not recognize the second. The two larger groups stood in perfectly straight lines, with their feet slightly apart and their hands clasped behind their backs. The Executive Officer, Lt Pressley, stood in the middle, at the front of both groups. When the Commander entered the bay, the Lt barked a sharp command, "Detail, Ten-hut!" and the two groups, in unison, clapped their heels together and stood ramrod straight, with their arms at their sides. Lt Pressley turned smartly about, and faced the commander, saluting. Commander Shepard returned the salute, both then dropping their arms. Liara noticed that when the command was issued, the remaining civilian personnel, like she and Karin, had fallen completely silent, but had not changed positions. A noticeable exception was Garrus. Even though in the civilian crowd, he stood at attention like the soldiers. Liara thought maybe she would ask him about that later.

Commander Shepard stood before them all, also at attention. When she spoke, "Parade, Rest!" the military members returned to the position of relative ease they had been in when she had originally entered, but everyone remained silent. The only sound was the gentle thrum of the Normandy's engines in the background. When Commander Shepard spoke, she did so in a deep, reverent voice that penetrated the silence of the Normandy.

"We are gathered here to honor the life of Staff Lieutenant Kaidan Alenko. He touched each of our lives in a different way. Most of us knew him as a brother-in-arms; some had the privilege to call him friend. Kaidan's easy going attitude had a calming influence on many of us, and I was always amazed at his ability to find peace and to bring it to others. Few people knew of the severe migraines he suffered if he overused his biotics...that's because Lt Alenko never complained. He was a soldier's soldier, dedicated to duty and dedicated to the mission. We all say we are prepared to give our life in defense of the ideals and freedoms we choose to protect, but relatively few of us are ever actually called upon to do so. If that day comes, we all pray we have the fortitude and strength to face it as Lt Kaidan Alenko did...without hesitation, without regrets, duty and honor foremost in our minds. Today, we lay a good Marine to rest, and our force is the lesser for it."

After a brief pause, Commander Shepard snapped to attention and barked, "Detail, Ten-hut!" Every member snapped to join her. "Present...Arms!" Every member snapped a salute in near perfect unison before the plaintive wail of a single horn played a song that almost made Liara sob. _How can a single instrument sound so...forlorn?_ As the last note waivered and died, the commander dropped her salute, ordered “Order...Arms” and looked to the group of four, "Present the flag." The four marched forward until directly in front of the commander, dipping the flag that Liara did not recognize. She could now read it, and realized it belonged to the Alliance Marine Corps. Lt Pressley stepped forward and gathered it, removing it from the staff pole, the detail of four then reversing and returning to their original location. Pressley handed one end to the commander, and together they folded it, very precisely, into a triangle, Pressley taking it and smoothing all the final edges. The commander saluted Pressley once more, and he slowly reached out and handed the flag over to her. Samantha turned sharply, and placed the flag into a decorative box on a table Liara had not noticed earlier. The commander returned to her original position, then spoke very softly to Lt Pressley and said, "Dismiss the troops."

Lt Pressley turned sharply to face the formation, and issued the final command of the ceremony, "Fall Out!" The entire formation, both groups in unison and in perfect cadence, took a step backward, came back once more to attention, and did an about face, all heals coming together in a final position of attention with a resounding snap.  

Liara was amazed when, at that point very evidently finished and after such precision, the group literally just crumbled apart, each individual suddenly going in their own direction, seeming eager to get away from such a reminder of mortality. _I cannot blame them...It is...unsettling._

Liara started to walk toward Shepard when something made her stop. The commander had returned to the table and was respectfully sealing the flag display box, taking great care that the flag was perfectly positioned inside. She then picked it up and packed it very carefully into the shipping crate containing the remainder of Kaidan's personal belongings. Sam bowed her head and stood still, apparently saying her own personal final goodbyes. Liara couldn't see Samantha's face, but was sure her eyes were closed. Suddenly feeling like she was intruding on a highly personal moment, Liara turned and returned to the med bay, wondering if Karin was up to conversation.

Though outwardly calm and controlled, Samantha's insides were churning. Kaidan's death brought too many memories...all the friends she had lost over her years of service. As she placed the flag in the shipping crate, she came to accept the letter to Kaidan's father would never get any better. She would never find the words to ease the pain, to lessen the loss, or to bring Kaidan home to Vancouver. The words just plainly did not exist. She closed her eyes and hung her head in sorrow. She was called a hero, but no one knew better than her, the mistakes she had made. The bad calls that got people killed, the signals she'd missed causing her to act seconds too late to save one soldier or another. The mental list of names she carried with her of all the people who had died under her command...the name of every soldier for which she had ever needed to write one of those damn letters was burned in her memory, but the list was getting too long...now, one longer. She would write them down, tonight, before they got too numerous to recall from memory. They did not deserve to be forgotten, and she would do what it took to remember them all...to never forget the people who had placed their trust in her to get them home. The people she had failed. She had no idea how long she had been standing there, but when she sighed and picked up the crate, she realized she was very much alone in the room. She shook her head and walked slowly to her quarters, with the weight of one more dead Marine in her arms and on her heart.


	16. It's Only Dinner

Liara walked into the medical bay and looked around at a disappointingly empty office...no Dr Chakwas. Liara was at a loss, as she intended to inquire as to the protocol for being invited to the commander's room for a private dinner. There was no one else on the crew who she felt she could get an appropriate, or more specifically, discrete, answer from. Thinking perhaps Karin went for tea or an early dinner, Liara headed back out the door to the mess. Sure enough, Karin was standing near the drink counter, her tray of food already in hand. Liara approached, not sure how to broach the topic, when Karin noticed her and asked if she cared to join her, finishing with, "Eating alone is such a bore."

"Thank you, Karin, but I'm not quite ready to eat yet. However, if you don't mind, I'll grab something to drink and sit with you for awhile...I have something I would like to ask you." Karin agreed, saying it would be nice to have some company, and for Liara to come find her, once she had made her drink selection. It was early yet, still a couple hours to the appointed time for dinner, so Liara grabbed an energy bar and some water before seeking out her friend.

Liara explained her predicament to Karin, relating her embarrassment in the commander's quarters earlier in the day. "I really have no idea what is involved. I looked up some vids, and it seems any time anyone is invited to the Captain's table, it is a formal affair. I have no such clothing available to me," Liara blushed as she continued, "and I am afraid if the commander is wearing her formal dress uniform, I'll probably not be able to eat anyway."

Karin smiled, "I think you are perfectly safe, my dear. I'm sure the commander's idea of dinner in her cabin is a burger, fries, and a beer, while she works on her e-mail."

Liara seemed to relax a bit, "Oh, there will be no e-mail...well, maybe later, but we do have things to discuss about Noveria... we shall see how the evening goes. Thank you, Karin. I do appreciate your advice... and your friendship. Things are getting better, but you were my savior in my first few weeks here, for certain. I cannot thank you enough for how welcome you made me feel." Liara suddenly looked sad. "You and Kaidan were my two best friends on the Normandy. I will miss him."

Karin's eyes misted. "So shall we all, Liara. Kaidan was a dear fellow to many of us. As the commander said today, the Normandy will be the lesser for his loss." Karin suddenly stood. "Well, I have medical reports to finish, and you apparently have a working dinner to prepare for. I shall see you later."

\-------------------------------

Shepard walked into her quarters and put the small crate under the table just inside the door. She stripped out of her dress blues, tossing them in the cleaning bin, and slipped into a comfortable pair of jeans and her old leather hovercycle boots. _God, sometimes I really miss the freedom of that bike, the road and my troubles left behind me, even if only for a little while._ She had on a black tank-top compression shirt, and figured she'd slip something else on over it a bit later. There wasn't really much to do in preparation for dinner. Her room was relatively Spartan, so she hung clean towels in the bath and made sure all her laundry was picked up and tossed in the cleaner with her uniform. The front half of the room was fairly empty, having only the small entry table, a cabinet that acted as her bar, and her small dining set. Then there was the bath and closet, and finally her desk, bookcase and bed toward the rear of the room. With all the laundry picked up and her bed made, there wasn't really anything else to do, so she moved to her desk to see what paperwork she could finish up before dinner.

She picked up the datapad she was working with earlier and pulled open her desk drawer, pulling out her old wide-tip fountain pen and a piece of nice parchment paper. Shepard felt strongly that grieving families deserved more than an impersonal electronic memo, so she always took the time to hand scribe a personal letter. Good script was a lost art to many; it was horribly old fashioned, but it's how she did every notification letter she had ever sent, and it seemed to her, the families appreciated the personal touch and understood the time and care it took to produce it. It was the least she could do. She was slow and methodical, but the letter wasn't really very long, less than a page, and it was already written; all she had to do was transcribe it from the datapad on which she had composed it earlier. She left it on her desk to dry; she'd fold it into an envelope and place it in the crate later, after dinner. She knew the personal items, the flag, and her letter would all be delivered to Kaidan's dad by some Alliance representative, most likely the Vancouver District Commander, along with the obligatory formal and legal documents and an Alliance Flag. Assuming Shepard somehow pulled this whole Saren thing off, she would be sure to visit Mr Alenko in person, after the war. _I wonder how many others..._

At 1845 hrs, Food Specialist Carlton Tucks delivered the meal settings as requested, with the warming platters, wine glasses and a bottle of Thessia Red. He efficiently set the table, with a linen table cloth and napkins, china and real silverware. Truly, it was the one advantage of being the ship's commander, but Shepard was still surprised at the level of service. She was allowed a small private stock, and the specialist would provide private meals in her cabin on demand. She'd worked on ships with both extremes; once, with a captain who never ate with the crew, and then with Anderson, who didn't ever not eat with the crew in the mess. Shepard had stocked some stores in the private locker just in case, but this was the first time she'd used them since boarding the Normandy. The meal she had selected was a modified family favorite. _I hope Liara likes it._ She thanked Carlton for the effort and he responded, "My pleasure, Commander. Just leave the stuff here when you're done. I'll come in tomorrow morning after breakfast and clean it up for you. See you tomorrow, ma'am!" He was gone as fast as he came, and Shepard stepped over to her closet, grabbed a loose fitting over-shirt to slide into and tucked it into her jeans. She then turned on some soft classical background music, went to the table and lit a candle, and had just finished pouring the two glasses of wine when the door chirped again.

Shepard placed the cork back in the wine as she yelled, "Come on in, Liara..." The Asari walked in the door, still in uniform, and it suddenly dawned on Shepard that Liara had no civilian clothes. She groaned inwardly. _Sometimes you are too mission focused for your own good Samantha Shepard!_ Everything she owned had been left on Therum, and they had yet to stop at a port of call where Liara would be able to get any replacements. As she walked toward the door to greet Liara properly, she started speaking, "Hey Blue, hungry?"

Liara smiled, "I am, as a matter of fact. Do we work, or eat, first?"

Sam laughed, "If we want the food hot, we eat, and maybe work at the same time. No rules against that in Asari culture, are there?"

Liara laughed with her as she said, "Absolutely not, Samantha." Liara glanced around the room and took in the scene. "This is very nice, and you look...very...comfortable." As Liara ran her hand lightly across the open collar of Shepard's emerald green shirt, she commented, "This complements your eyes beautifully." Shepard's breath caught at the touch, and her body involuntarily trembled. Samantha tipped her head slightly to the side, wondering if Liara was teasing on purpose, or if she had no idea what she had just done. _Is sensuality so natural to Asari she doesn't even realize the power of a touch like that? God help me!_

Samantha took a deep breath to settle herself and introduced dinner, "I hope you have no objections to a mainly human menu for the evening. Tonight, you get a traditional Shepard family meal; Italian herb roasted chicken with rosemary potatoes and a fruit salad...and, of course, wine. In your honor, I selected a bottle of Thessia Red; not the best, there was no '47 to be found. I hope it meets with your approval." Sam flashed a huge grin as she pulled out Liara's chair, indicating she should take a seat. Liara took the proffered chair without hesitation, so Sam noted the Asari must have similar customs.

Liara quipped, "I have no idea what the first half of that is, but I do know I will like the fruit salad and the wine. I'm sure the rest will be delicious," smiling as she spoke.

Samantha pulled the dishes out of the warmers, removed their covers and placed one at each setting, pulling out her own chair and sitting with Liara. "So, Dr T'Soni. Watching you come in my door this evening, however pleasant a sight you may be, it suddenly came to my attention that I have been terribly remiss in my duties of taking care of my crew."

Liara looked puzzled, and Shepard thought she'd been doing that to Liara a lot lately, she must learn to be a bit more straight forward with the young Asari until she learned more of human speech patterns, or at least, Sam's speech patterns. "We abandoned everything you owned on Therum, and I have not provided you opportunity to replace any of it, including civilian clothes.   All I ever see you in is Alliance issue."

Liara flushed, "I am sorry if my appearance does not meet your approval, Commander..."

Samantha cut her off before she could go any farther. "Stop right there. That is not what I meant at all, Liara. _Seeing you actually pleases me...very...much... no matter what you're wearing_. I meant exactly what I said. I have been remiss. You have nothing of your own, and it can't be very comfortable, especially since we weren't originally outfitted for any Asari crew members. I'm sure you're missing some basic essentials. That's my bad. Next time we get to the Citadel, I'm taking you shopping. Alliance gives us a bit of a stipend for that kind of stuff, so my treat...Now, let's see how well Specialist Tucks did on our dinner, shall we?"

Shepard and Liara were both very happy with the skill of chef, the meal done to perfection. Shepard was not surprised, since Capt Anderson had hand-selected the entire crew. The man definitely knew what a good cook can do for the morale of the troops. While they ate, Shepard kept the wine glasses full and questioned Liara on the Noveria information she collected, which, it turned out, wasn't much more than what Liara had already provided. The capital is Port Hanshan, and the main facility is run by the Noveria Development Corporation. While over two dozen companies leased space, their target would be Binary Helix, of which Saren was a key investor and Benezia his official executor. Their primary research facility was something called Peak 15, but the corporate security was very good, provided by Elanus Risk Control Services, or ERCS, and no maps of the individual research sites exist.

They finished their dinner and Shepard sighed, dreading the next topic of discussion. "Liara, with the reports of Geth activity, there is a good chance Saren or your mother may be on Noveria. I honestly want them to be there, and for this chase to be over."

Liara earnestly replied, "I understand, Shepard. It will be nice when this business is finished."

Shepard shook her head. "No, Liara, I don't think you do fully understand. If Saren or your mother is there, I can't count on them surrendering. I am hoping for a peaceful resolution, but we have to face the possibility it could end...otherwise."

Shepard stopped speaking for a moment and just watched Liara, waiting for the archeologist to process the data and truly understand the implications of what she was saying. When she saw Liara's face go blank, devoid of any emotion, and then her eyes start to tear, Shepard knew she had realized just what they may end up facing. Shepard slowly reached across the table and clasped the blue hand nearest her. The contact startled Liara, and she looked at Sam, then closed her eyes, mouthing one word, so quietly Sam saw her lips move but no sound came from the Asari. "Goddess"

Shepard didn't move, just waited for Liara to decide on her own what path she would take. The only thing Shepard prepared to do was keep Liara from leaving the room, should she decide to bolt. Shepard couldn't let her leave like this...now that the topic was in the wind; they had to resolve it to the commander's satisfaction, one way or another. Shepard was fairly confident Liara would do no such thing, but she had to be ready, just in case. Slowly, Liara raised her head and met Samantha's eyes, speaking "If everything we fear is true, that my mother is working for Saren, then we will do what we need to do. You have not tried to deceive me, nor have you hidden any of the truth of what you have discovered. You have accepted me as an equal crew member on the Normandy, you have cared for me, and you have trusted me." Liara let out a shaky sigh and continued. "If my mother is there, and she proves to be a...." Liara could not bring herself to say the word traitor. "...if she does not deny the allegations, then we must take whatever action is necessary. I am with you to the end, Shepard." Liara's eyes pleaded for a peaceful resolution on the day.

Still holding Liara's hand, Shepard stood, drawing the Asari up with her. She pulled Liara close, whispering gently in her ear, "We'll do what we can, Liara, and you don't have to come..."

"No." Liara pulled back a bit, and was adamant. "Please, Samantha. You have to take me. I have to know. If she is there, I have to be there too. I have to be able to talk to her. I might be able to convince her, to stop her..... You have to let me at least try!" Tears were flowing down Liara's cheeks and it broke Sam's heart to see her so distressed.

Shepard pulled her tight again, "Ok, Blue, Ok...shhhhh... it's ok....I just don't want to see you hurt...but that's already happened and I can't do anything about it. I'm so sorry, Liara....Shhhh, it's ok..." Sam held her tight, gently rubbing her shoulders, swaying easily to the music, repeating her reassurances and soothing the Asari. After the tears stopped, Shepard continued to hold and comfort Liara, letting her dictate when to break the embrace.

Liara quietly sobbed against Sam's chest, strong arms protectively wrapped around her, like she was tucked safely in a cocoon. Even though the subject matter pained her, Liara somehow still felt warm and safe. She hadn't been held like that in years, probably not since she had been in her mid 40s. The horrible irony was the very person who held her then was the very person they were talking about possibly having to kill. The ache didn't stop, but Liara eventually ran out of tears. She tried to take a deep breath, but it hitched about half way through, prompting another circular rub and "shhhh" from Shepard. Liara was very unsure of herself at that moment and needed every bit of strength Samantha was willing to give her. The gently rocking and strong arms finally did their job, and Liara successfully took in a deep breath without catching. She exhaled a quiet, "Thank you, Samantha," and gently pushed back, looking up into those cloudy green eyes, filled with a tender concern.

Shepard studied the tear-streaked face, trying to establish Liara's emotional state, and couldn't help but try to wipe away the dried tears. Shepard's brow creased with worry, "You Ok?"

Liara nodded a yes, while running her hand over Samantha's chest. "I think I ruined your shirt," she said with a sad smile.

Shepard spoke lightly, "I don't believe a few Asari tears are going to ruin a shirt...though it is pretty wet. Guess I should change it." Not willing to relinquish her hold on Liara, Sam took her by the hand, brought her to the closet and pointed at her shirts. "You pick the replacement."

Willing to accept any type of distraction, Liara played the game, pulling her hand away so she could flip through the selections; she finally pulled out two shirts. Stepping back, she held them both up against Shepard, weighing their individual merits. "This burgundy one really pulls the red of your hair, but this cerulean one... this one compliments... this one is just nice... but it doesn't compliment anything." Laughingly lightly she asked, "Why do you have a blue shirt?"

Shepard shrugged her shoulders and simply said, "Because I like it." She stepped back and looked appraisingly at Liara. "Besides, blue is rapidly becoming my new favorite color...and it compliments a certain beautiful Asari at my side."

Liara blushed as she responded, "Oh, does it now? Then I think you should wear it."

Shepard took the burgundy shirt and hung it back up. Turning back to Liara, she said, "And now, you get to help me change." Shepard untucked her soggy shirt and started undoing the buttons, and Liara, embarrassed, went to turn away. Sam reached out, caught her shoulder, and slowly turned her back around, capturing Liara's eyes with her own. "Where do you think you're going with my shirt...? I'll be needing that." Maintaining eye contact, Sam finished unbuttoning and shrugged the shirt off her shoulders, let it slide off her arms to the floor, and took a step toward Liara. Shepard still had her tank-top compression shirt on, and Liara's eyes slid off Sam's and went to those now bare shoulders; her free hand followed, fingertips tracing across Sam's chest to caress a shoulder before wandering down a strong arm that had just offered Liara such comfort.

She heard Shepard groan at the caress... _By the Goddess, did just my touch elicit that response?_...and Liara's face flushed and her breath became ragged as she said, "Samantha... You are beautiful. So...sculpted... You are a work of art."

Liara fumbled to get the other shirt hung back up on the rack without tearing her eyes off of Shepard for even an instant; she missed, and the shirt hit the floor, forgotten. Her second hand now joined the first, and they started over again, together on Samantha's chest, starting in the center, massaging upward, then out to each side to grip the top of the trapezius muscles, craving a repeat of the sound that spoke of desire from Samantha, who was practically panting, just from the touch. Liara was so engrossed, she didn't even realize Shepard had slowly backed up, until she hit the wall and no longer had anywhere else to retreat. Liara had followed, her hands again wandering over Samantha's chest, then outward, feathering across the shoulders, seeking down each arm, individually. When Liara got to the hands, Samantha interwove their fingers, captured Liara's hands, and pulled them around her, encouraging Liara to wrap her in a hug. It also put them face to face, and Liara looked directly into Samantha's eyes and saw a dark intensity that caused her to inhale sharply. Her stomach fluttered, and she was exhilarated, enraptured and frightened, all at the same time.

When Liara's fingertips rippled across her chest to her shoulders, Shepard's eyes almost fluttered closed, and she groaned at the sensual touch, a bolt of lightning literally flashing from those fingers to the very core of her being. When she had stepped up to Liara, she'd honestly expected the Asari either to continue her retreat, or hold her dry shirt out to put on...not get suddenly bold and start to explore. The last thing Shepard expected was for that exploration to include tiny biotic pulses...and she didn't think Liara even realized she was doing it. _Oh God, what are you doing? That's...not...fair!_ When Liara dropped the shirt and hit Sam with both hands, those little pulses lit up her insides, wildly erotic, and had Shepard practically gasping for air. The only thing she could think to do was retreat. Liara followed, and Sam hit the wall, nowhere else to go. _I've got to catch those hands before she drives me crazy for God's sake!_ When Liara finally made a sweep all the way down her arms to her hands, Shepard mustered enough self control to trap those fingers, and the blue tendrils of power died off, enabling Shepard to get a full breath without electric running through her insides. She was so close to release it was ridiculous. Samantha was always extra sensitive when she hadn't had any type of sexual activity for a while, and it had been almost two years since she broke up with her last girlfriend, so she was definitely primed; throwing the wonderfully beautiful biotic Liara T'Soni into the mix was definitely a deadly combo! She'd pulled her into a hug, and successfully distracted those hands, but now she found herself eye to eye with the alluring Asari. Liara quickly sucked in a breath, and Sam looked at her and softly whispered, "Do you know you have the most beautiful crystal blue eyes I have ever seen in my life?" Samantha didn't give her a chance to answer before leaning forward and capturing a soft mouth in a gentle kiss.

Liara pulled one arm free from Samantha's waist and wrapped it instead around her shoulder, her hand entangled and playing in Shepard's hair. Whimpering into Sam's soft lips, Liara opened her mouth, inviting Samantha to deepen the kiss, and Shepard almost responded, before catching herself and pulling back, clearing her throat. This time, Shepard did close her eyes, and leaned her forehead into Liara's before speaking. Shepard's chest was tight, her heart pounding, hardly able to breath, but she managed to squeak out, "Blue...wait....God, I'm sorry...I...we need to talk about this...about where this is going...or...or I'm not going to be able to stop myself...I didn't think...you said you weren't ready!"

It was like a glass of cold water was splashed in Liara's face and reality slammed in; the body heat, the heavy, panting breaths washing over her, Samantha's distinctive smell of leather and musk, the throbbing pulse of nearly overwhelming desire where their hips were still pushed tightly together... Liara tried to jerk away, exclaiming, "By the Goddess, Samantha! I'm so sorry... I didn't mean... I never..."

Samantha held the Asari tight around the waist with one arm, preventing her flight, and raised her other hand to Liara's lips, stopping the sudden torrent of words. "Easy, Blue...relax...it's ok. I love holding you, but we do need to talk..."

Liara, overwrought with emotion and blushing furiously, ceased her futile attempts to withdraw, and instead, crushed back into Samantha's shoulder to hide her face, crying softly, this time flustered over her loss of emotional control. Samantha took a deep, cleansing breath, releasing it slowly, once more in control of herself, the deep pulse of desire slowly tapering off. "Hey Blue, no more tears, my love." Receiving no response, Shepard scooped the non-protesting Asari off her feet and carried her to a chair, sitting down gently with Liara on her lap, her face buried against Shepard's neck. Shepard sat patiently in silence, holding Liara, until she was ready to rejoin the conversation. The tears had mostly stopped with the unexpected lift off her feet, and Liara's breathing finally smoothed out, but she was still too embarrassed to speak.

Shepard decided to make light conversation to draw Liara back out of her shell. Shepard had a smile in her voice as she spoke, "You know, when you're running on high emotion, and not analyzing every word you say, you've started using contractions." That got a twitch, but no comments from the Asari; she was probably reviewing her comments in her head, to see if what Shepard had said was true. Shepard continued her oratory. "And it's a darn good thing I didn't get that shirt on, or we'd be starting all over picking a new one." That got a soft thump from a free hand on the opposite shoulder from where Liara was snuggled in, but still no comment. Shepard was getting warmed up now, feeling a bit of a smile forming on the lips pressing against her neck, and Shepard realized Liara was now just being stubborn about not wanting to talk. _Maybe, for once, she was actually enjoying the teasing?_ "I suppose since the burgundy shirt took second place, it would be the natural follow-up, so maybe I wouldn't need your help to pick a new one..." That got a little snicker... "And you probably wouldn't be much help anyway, seeing as you've apparently lost your ability to speak." At that, Liara couldn't take any more, and she struck Samantha with a more sound thump on her shoulder as she sat up and retorted, "Samantha Shepard, you are incorrigible!" Samantha flashed a raffish grin, happy to get Liara talking.

"So...," Sam began, "I started that whole thing by teasing you. I did it to distract you, never thought you'd take me up on it. I should know better, you still have a hard time with teasing and joking, trying to figure out when I'm doing it or being serious. I just expected you to hand me the new shirt!"

Liara shook her head, "No, I knew you were teasing, and I was trying to play along...but then when you shrugged your shirt off...Goddess, I just lost my mind, got caught up in the moment. You really are beautiful, Samantha...your body is apparently a dangerous thing to tease me with."  Liara looked down at the floor, a shy smile emerging on her lips.

In response, Shepard laughed gently, and caressed Liara's face. "I'll keep that in mind. You're the most beautiful woman I've ever known, Liara, and when you actually responded to me...it's... it's been a long time since...yeah...anyway, I almost couldn't stop...especially when you did whatever the hell that was with your biotics! God that felt great...beyond great!"

Liara sat up straight and looked at Sam, her forehead wrinkled with concern. "What thing with my biotics?" Shepard laughed and tried to explain the sensation, and how she eventually had to grab Liara's hands to keep things from going too far.

Liara listened in stunned silence, finally bursting out "Samantha! That is no laughing matter! I've never lost control of my biotics before! What if I had hurt you?"

"Easy there, big Blue! There was no fear of that! You most certainly did not 'lose control' of your biotics, believe me! You knew exactly what you were doing, be it subconscious or not, they elicited the exact response they were meant to!" Liara blushed deep purple at that point, but Shepard wasn't done. "And, by the way, if you didn't do it on purpose, you'd better figure it out, because it was very effective, and I just might expect some more of that!"

Liara couldn't blush any deeper, so all she could so was soundly thump Shepard on the shoulder and exclaim, "Samantha!"

Shepard was laughing in earnest now, at the same time clutching her shoulder, "Hey, easy, I need to stay mission ready here!"

The mention of the mission instantly brought a more somber mood to the conversation, and Liara's face fell. A look of concern flitted across Sam's face. "Liara, I need to be serious for a minute, and I need you to look at me." Shepard waited until she had solid eye contact, before continuing, "I need to know you can be focused. I need to know you won't hesitate, or second guess yourself...it could put lives in danger, otherwise. I'm sorry I have to ask this of you, but I need to be sure, or I can't take you on the mission."

Liara did not flinch when she responded. "I have my past, and I have my future. I need to try to understand the first, but I must live for the second. I know my duty, Commander, and I will not hesitate at the choices I must make. I am coming with you. You need not fear for my performance. I love you, Shepard, and I will guard you with my life. Please...Let us speak no more of it this evening."

Shepard nodded her head. "Deal. Now...uhmm... Would you mind getting up, because I'm pretty sure my leg is asleep."

As she stood up, Liara laughed lightly and rolled her eyes at the perplexing being in front of her. "What am I to do with you, Shepard? You shift topics of conversation like you hot-swap weapons mods! One out, one in...no break between! How am I supposed to keep up?"

Shepard laughed as she stood and started stomping her foot, trying to bring her leg back to life. "I dunno, but you seem to be doing a pretty good tonight...besides, some of the shifts are your fault, so you're not one to talk!"

Liara got such an indignant look on her face, Samantha couldn't help herself; she reached out and drew Liara in again, holding her tight; Liara did not protest and set her chin on Sam's shoulder while wrapping her arms around the commander's waist. "Oh, Sam...this just feels so good...I could stay here forever."

Sam contentedly sighed, "That's the general idea, Blue. I would like that, very much."

Liara stiffened a little, and queried, "Do you really mean that, Samantha?"

Shepard grabbed Liara's shoulders and pushed her away so she could see her face. Liara's eyes were heavy swirls of doubt and hesitation as Sam answered her question. "I mean every word of that, Doctor T'Soni. I meant what I said about not taking relationships for granted. They are important to me...I don't 'do' casual. Is that a problem?"

Sam's heart melted as Liara's eyes softened and she whispered her response, "Absolutely not, Shepard...absolutely not."

Shepard glanced at the clock and was somewhat surprised at the time. She looked at Liara, "Wow, it's late... Stay for breakfast?" Liara was puzzled, glancing at the clock for herself, thinking it could not possibly be that late, could it? They had not talked all night! Shepard sensed her confusion over yet one more human saying, and explained, "Blue, it's an invitation, not really for breakfast, but to spend the night with me. We'll just sleep. I can give you one of my nightshirts to sleep in..." Shepard smiled, "because I don't plan on sleeping all night in my uniform like last time you stayed here." Sam watched conflicting emotions play across Liara's face, so she followed up with one last statement. "Given what we'll be facing, I think we can both use the mutual moral support of a good night's sleep."

Liara ducked her head a little and looked down toward the floor, whispering so quietly Shepard almost didn't hear her, once again the shy archeologist. "I think I would like that."

Sam grinned and grabbed Liara's hand, and started moving toward the closet as she asked, "Dare return to the scene of the crime, Dr T'Soni?" Shepard reveled in the musical laugher that snuck out of the Asari's throat, content in her ability to evoke such joy, however brief it may be. Once at her wardrobe, Shepard retrieved her blue shirt from the floor, throwing a disdainful look toward Liara that quickly turned to her lopsided raffish grin, and hung it back up. She pulled open one of the drawers, and pulled out a couple pairs of soft cotton gym shorts, and then dug in a separate drawer to find one of her long tail t-shirts. She quickly handed the shirt and one pair of shorts to Liara, then went back to digging for some sweats. Shepard was a bit nervous over the prospect of actually having Liara in bed with her, and not just laying on top with a sheet thrown over them, so she started speaking to cover the quiet anxiety. "I think it's rather convenient we're about the same size. I'll dig some sweats up for you too, in case you get cold. You can hang on to them until we can get you shopping to get some stuff of your own...shoot, I've got tons, you can keep them as long as you like. I think it'd be pretty sexy to watch you lounging around in my stuff." Sam paused for a moment, a silly little self gratified grin on her face, picturing Liara wandering the Normandy in her N7 sweats. _Mine_. Then, she returned to her discourse. "You can have the bathroom first if you like. I even have a couple of spare toothbrushes if you want one. I always buy 'em by the six-pack, 'cuz I never know when I'll have a chance to get a new one. They're in one of the vanity drawers... feel free to dig around, you'll find everything you need."

It was so quiet, Shepard assumed Liara had left, so she popped her boots off and dropped her jeans. As she stepped back out of the puddles of pant legs lying on the floor, she bumped into Liara... and froze. A blue arm snaked around her waist and pulled her tight; she could feel the Asari's chest pressing into her back. _Oh, God help me..._ Liara's warm breath was caressing her neck; a soft, slightly shaky, voice tickled her ear, "Thank you, Samantha, for everything."

Shepard was at a loss, so all she could muster was a weak, "Umm, sure...I mean, it's just a toothbrush...Sorry...I thought you had already headed to the bathroom." Liara giggled, "How could I? You had not finished speaking yet, and I thought it rude to leave in the middle of your...um...ramblings?"

"Ramblings? Commander Shepard does not ramble!" Samantha growled. "Alright, T'Soni, the gloves are off!" Shepard spun free of Liara's hold, turning and grabbing both of Liara's arms just above the elbow, turning her and pushing her back and getting in her face. Liara was caught off guard by the speed of Shepard's movements, though she saw evidence of it every time she watched the commander in battle. Liara just never expected it to be used against her. Plus, she was startled by the look of ...wildness?...that flashed through Shepard's eyes as she pinned Liara to the wall. Shepard stared at her, speaking through closed teeth, "You think of my eloquent dissertation as to the benefits of us being the same size as ramblings?" Liara started to smile, realizing the utter ridiculousness of the conversation. Shepard continued, "Don't even think it, T'Soni; wipe that smile off your face. I offered you clothes...to keep!" At this point, an abrupt flash of uncertainty on Liara's face was too much and Shepard's facade started to crack, the edges of her forced snarl starting to twitch up into a smile, but she tried to hold out, continuing, "Hell, I offered you a toothbrush! You have any idea how personal a toothbrush is?" At this point, Sam couldn't stand it anymore, and she burst out laughing.

Liara smiled and shook her head, saying "you know, you might have been more fearsome if you weren't in your underwear."

Shepard stopped cold, looked down at herself and just muttered, "ahhhh, shit!" She handed Liara the sweats she had dug out, put on her shorts and grabbed Liara's hand. "Come on, I'll get you that toothbrush."

They finished up, and Shepard left Liara alone in the bathroom to change her clothes in private. She tossed her dirty clothes into the cleaner bin, and then remembered the now dry letter to Kaidan's father, still sitting on the desk. She folded it carefully, placed it into the envelope, and was laying it into the packing crate when Liara came out of the bathroom. Liara watched silently as Shepard sealed the crate, then turned and looked at her with glistening eyes. "Well, I'm glad that's done. Throw your stuff in the cleaner and we'll run it overnight, so it'll be ready for you in the morning."

They climbed into the bed, and Shepard straddled Liara, sitting with her knees bent, legs tucked under, sitting over Liara's hips. Liara looked up at her, questioningly, and obviously nervous. Sam smiled softly and said, "Trust me," and took one of Liara's hands, gently stretching her fingers and massaging her palm. "Just close your eyes and relax." Shepard worked her way slowly up Liara's arm, working any knots she found, until she reached the shoulder. While repeating the process up the other arm, she glanced at Liara's face when she heard her purr with pleasure. Liara's eyes were open, and Sam realized she was being watched. "Like it?" she asked.

Liara responded quietly, "Hmm. Feels very nice, and I certainly enjoy the view as well."

Shepard released the arm she was holding captive and placed her hands on each side of Liara's head; she leaned down and placed a few tender kisses around on Liara's face...her forehead, the tip of her nose, her cheek, and eventually a soft flutter across Liara's astonishing soft lips. Liara's eyes were closed, her breathing rapid, when Sam whispered onto her lips, "I love you, Liara T'Soni." Sam moved and stretched out next to Liara, propped up on one elbow, cautiously leaning against the warm body of the Asari, gently caressing whatever her hand could reach.

Liara whimpered, "By the Goddess, Samantha, what your touch...your kiss...does to me. I've never felt more safe... I've never felt more loved...than I do right now at this moment. I want to share everything with you."

"We have a lifetime ahead of us to do just that, Liara. Just tell me what you want from me and I'll do my best to provide it, I swear."

Shepard laid flat on the bed, and Liara cuddled in close, whispering, "Just love me, Samantha. The rest will take care of itself."

They both fell into a peaceful sleep, the last thought across Samantha's mind being, _that's easy T'Soni, I already do..._


	17. Shaky Foundations

Shepard woke early, before her alarm, and just laid there for a few minutes taking in the rhythmic breathing of a still sleeping Liara. It was wonderful to wake up with someone you actually meant to go to bed with; and not with someone who was the result of a one night sex fling or a night filled with dubious behavior and too much alcohol, where your first reaction was to question how you could sneak out without waking them. Shepard snorted quietly at herself; it had been a while since she'd had one of those! She gently rolled on her side, facing the Asari, taking in the view. _I don't plan on ever having another either!_ She thought back to the previous night and how close she and Liara had come to having sex...and that's what it would have been. The emotional energy was too tense, too raw; it would have been pure sex, driven by lust and a whole bottle of Thessia Red. That was not how Shepard wanted to start out with Liara. The Asari deserved more than that.

Shepard rolled easily out of bed, careful to not wake Liara, and moved to her desk. Pulling out her diary and a pen, she sat down to write. She flipped to the last page in the book and started writing names. The list. She started on the last line in the book and worked backwards. That way, the name at the top of the list would always be the freshest pain. If anyone ever picked it up to read, they would travel back in time from Shepard's most current failure to her first. The first name written was Michael O'Donnell. They say you never forget your first. They aren't normally talking about the first person whose death you were responsible for, but they're right, just the same. The first was always the hardest, and it was such a stupid thing, such a tragic consequence for a few seconds of inattention. Mike was a happy go lucky guy, always clowning around; her 'buddy' in basic training. You always watch out for your buddy, you don't go anywhere without them, you take care of them, they take care of you...only Shepard failed to take care of Mike on the obstacle course. She shouldn't have let him joke around on the high wall...she shouldn't have let him fall. She didn't even make it out of basic without losing her buddy. Shepard wrote a few more names. The worst were the pirate raids, the Theshaca raids. She picked the shuttle route, told the pilot to stay low, under the radar of the AA guns. She didn't emphasize the threat enough, she didn't pay attention and the pilot took a short cut, jumping over a rock outcropping instead of going around, climbed too high and got in their sites. The shuttle was blasted out of the sky and they crashed, killing seven of the twelve squad members, plus the shuttle pilot. Five died right away, three more later, from injuries sustained in the crash. Shepard wrote more names.

The most painful was probably Jonathan. Jon was a great guy, provided tech support to her squad. He introduced Samantha to his sister, Nikki, and they hit it off great. They dated for a while and became a couple. It was a blissful four years, supposed to last a lifetime, until Jon was killed on a mission. Her squad, her responsibility, and she let Jon down...and Nikki couldn't forgive her, wouldn't forgive her. That was two years ago and Jon used to be the most recent name. That caused the last 'sex fling' Shepard had...a result of too much alcohol and too much pain, after Nikki had walked out, irreparably angry and crying, and broken her heart. Shepard wrote two more names to top the list. Richard Jenkins and Kaidan Alenko. Eleven years of service, twenty two...no, twenty three names. Twenty three names too many; twenty three faces railed against her successes. How much more blood could she take on her hands before she felt like she could no longer wash it all away? How much before it left a permanent stain? Shepard had recalled every name without difficulty, and immediately wondered if maybe it was already too late. Shepard put down her pen and closed her diary, ink flowing on paper replaced by silent tears flowing down her cheeks.

Liara woke to an empty bed, the space beside her cool, so she knew Samantha had been up for a while. Turning over, she saw Shepard at her desk with nothing but a dim desk lamp and a book. _Writing? Samantha writes?_ Liara sometimes took field notes with a notebook and pen, but had never seen anyone else do it; everyone now used omnitools and datapads. Liara smiled at the discovery; Samantha was right, they did have more in common than either of them realized. Liara was at ease, and the alarm hadn't sounded yet, so she stayed in bed, pulling in her companion's pillow, taking in a deep breath of its lingering scent that was Samantha, contentedly watching her write. Eventually, Shepard closed the book and laid down her pen, her head tipped slightly back and she let go a heavy, unhappy sigh. Liara wondered what could cause such an unpleasant outcome, and quietly queried with no more than her name. "Samantha?"

Shepard started, however slightly, and replied in a husky voice, not looking at Liara. "Hey Blue. My light didn't wake you, did it?"

Liara slid out of bed, moved to the desk, and gently laid a hand on Shepard's shoulder. "No, the light is fine. Are you ok?"

Samantha sighed again, wiped her face with her hands and turned to Liara, greatly limiting her answer. "Yeah...I'm good. Just, um, thinking about Kaidan." _and twenty two others I've gotten killed..._

Liara's eyes misted as she spoke, "Kaidan was a good friend to me. Besides you and Karin, he was the only other to accept me when I first came on board." Liara spun the desk chair so it was facing away, and started to massage Samantha's shoulders as she finished her statement. "Many will miss him. Karin and I spoke of this same thing yesterday after the ceremony. You spoke well for him."

Samantha's eyes drifted closed and she swallowed her tears. "Ooooohhhh, that feels good. I think I'll keep you around, T'Soni. My doctor of massage therapy."

Liara laughed softly, "Karin did say I was good for you."

Samantha leaned forward, pulling away slightly so she could turn around and eyeball the Asari, "What? When did she say that?"

Liara continued with a smile in her voice, "After the Thorian escapade. She said I have a 'calming effect' on you. She approves." She pulled Shepard back and continued the massage.

Shepard was really curious now, prying, "Approves of what, the calming effect or you being good for me?"

Liara smiled, remembering the conversation, how unsure she had been about her feelings for Shepard. "She approves of us, as a couple, I believe. Even back then, she said it was obvious, how we looked at one another. Seems she knew before we did."

Samantha groaned. "We knew... we just didn't know what to do about it! You were too shy, and I was too hung up on being the Commander. Ash was the one who pushed me." Shepard could tell Liara was surprised about Ash, by the pause in the massage, so she explained. "Ash and I had a heart to heart about non-humans on the crew in general. I helped her see her bias, and she helped me realize that some things are just too good to let go by. She told me I was a calmer, happier person when you were around, and to not let anyone take that away from me. So, Karin's not the only one that noticed."

Liara's hands stopped completely and fell away. Her voice was distraught when she asked, "So, does everyone know?"

Samantha spun around and popped up, giving Liara a quick, tight hug before replying. "I don't care if they do!" Shepard started to walk away, then stopped and returned swiftly to Liara. She put an arm around the Asari's waist and pulled her close, taking in a deep breath of the scents of eezo and Thessian rose she had come to associate with the Asari. She cupped a cheek with her other hand, and kissed her, slow and deep, leaving Liara breathless by the time Shepard broke off. "By the way, T'Soni...I never said good morning." Shepard waited, wondering if she was going to get a reply.

Liara's eyes were still closed and her face still flushed when she managed a response. "Goddess, Samantha. I think I like the way you say good morning!"

Shepard had a satisfied smirk on her face and was readying a response when the peaceful morning was interrupted; first her bedside alarm started ringing, and then Joker piped in. "Commander Shepard?"

Shepard responded while walking to turn off the alarm, "Whatcha got, Jeff?"

"Emergency transmission from Admiral Kahoku, Commander."

"On my way." Shepard looked at Liara. "Sorry, Liara. Duty calls. Maybe see you later?"

Liara smiled shyly, "I'd like that, Samantha."

\-------------------------------

Shepard stormed down the stairs, ignoring Liara's concerned exclamation, ignoring everything but the pounding in her head threatening to steal away reason. She slipped into her room and locked the door behind her before she fell to her knees and clenched her fists, shaking partly in frustration at the inability to provide any consolation to the families of needlessly dead marines, but mostly in barely controlled rage. She couldn't believe the timing of Kahoku's message. Having just finished writing a list of names in her journal, she wondered if the Admiral did something similar when he sent men to their deaths.

Liara stood briefly outside the door, contemplating the lock symbol before deciding to speak with Joker first. When she got to the bridge she looked at the pilot and bluntly queried, "What did you say to the commander that has her so angry?"

Joker shrugged his shoulders in his off-hand kind of way and responded, "I didn't say anything. She got a message from some admiral the ground team talked to on the Citadel just after she was selected as a Spectre. You got me as to why she's so mad."

"Can you play it back for me, please?" Liara was very curious as to the contents of a message that could so upset the normally controlled commander.

Joker grinned broadly as he spoke, flourishing his baseball cap in the air, "Your wish is my command, Lady T'Soni!"

Liara started to object, "Flight Lieutenant, I am not Lady T'Soni. That honor belongs..." She gave up as Joker broke into loud laughter. Liara groaned, "Let me guess. Some kind of joke that yet again I have failed to comprehend."

As the playback began, Joker just sighed; Liara's reaction took all the fun out of the joke. "I'll explain it to you later."

_Shepard, this is Admiral Kahoku. I found out who set that trap on my men, the ones killed by the thresher maw. Damn, I hope you get this message. It was a group called Cerberus; an Alliance Black Ops organization, top secret, highest level security clearance. They vanished a few months ago, dropped right off the grid. Nobody knew where they went or what they were up to. They've gone completely rogue, Shepard! They're conducting illegal genetic experiments trying to create some kind of super soldier! I don't have any proof, but I found the coordinates for one of their research worlds. I'm uploading them with this message. They're completely out of control. Somebody needs to stop them! I've done my part, now it's up to you. This... this is probably the last you'll hear from me. Cerberus is after me now. I need to disappear before they find me._

Liara understood why fellow service members would be angry about such a thing, but the emotions radiating off of Shepard when she stormed by were palpable. Liara was puzzled as to the intensity of the commander's reaction and while Joker was purely guessing, he provided a partial answer. "Awhile back, we responded to an emergency beacon and found it planted in the middle of a thresher nest. On purpose. And now Shepard knows a rogue Alliance Black Op is responsible for the death of an entire Marine recon team. I'm pissed off too, but her reaction? That was kinda over the top and I have no idea why."

There was only one thing for Liara to do; ask her. Liara approached the door and tapped the glowing red panel for entry, causing a chime to sound inside the room. Getting no response, she tapped again and just as she was getting ready to turn to leave, the door opened with Shepard's eyes blazing at whoever dared to invade her sanctuary. Shepard was growling as the door opened, "Does a locked door not..." She stopped once she saw who was standing on the other side and swallowed the rest of her sentence, stepping aside to clear the path. "Liara. Come in." Her voice was still tense and her words were clipped as she turned and walked down the stairs to sit on her couch in silence.

Liara followed hesitantly, relocking the door behind her, still trying to figure out the exact parameters of their budding relationship. She wasn't sure if she should speak or sit, and she was wringing her hands, unsure where to start. As it turned out, she didn't have to. After a moment, without any prompting, the commander started to speak with a quiet intensity.

"Admiral Kahoku just informed me an Alliance black op went rogue and killed an entire squad of Marines. Said they just dropped off the grid a few months ago. It's crap, Liara. Those Marines died for nothing. Cerberus went bad a long time ago and they should have been stopped then." Shepard hesitated for just a moment before she continued. "I was only eleven when they killed my dad." She slowly told the whole two-year story; she left nothing out, from her mom's assignment to the Hastings through when she lived with Karin Chakwas for nine months until Hannah got her new posting in London. As Shepard spoke, Liara slowly sank down onto the couch next to her and without thinking, reached out and clasped the hand closest to her, holding it in an attempt to impart calm to the commander's ragged emotions. When the story was done, silence fell, punctuated only by Samantha's harsh breathing as she struggled to rein in her anger. "I've never told anyone that story. As far as I know, only four people in the galaxy know the _full_ truth. Me, my mom, Karin... and now you."

"Shepard. I am so sorry. I did not mean for you to relive that time. It obviously pains you greatly." Liara's eyes filled with tears, feeling like she had amplified Samantha's hurt by the telling.

Shepard squeezed the blue hand holding her own and looked at the Asari sitting next to her, gently reaching up and wiping away the tears before they fell. "No, Liara. Don't cry. It's... good to tell it. I was thinking it anyways, and somehow, sharing it lessens the ache that weighs on my soul. Thank you for caring enough to check on me. Just...you being here...it means a lot." She closed her eyes and leaned back on the couch, not relinquishing Liara's hand. She took a deep breath and let it out slowly. Shepard's voice was strong again, and it startled Liara when she suddenly blurted out into the quiet, "I never knew hate until that day." Realizing how loud her voice was in the silence, she continued a bit more quietly. "It's so irrational. Seeing a thresher nest used as a trap to kill Marines was bad enough, but hearing Cerberus was involved just... I don't know. I know it's not how he died, but I suddenly saw my dad lying on Edolus with those marines, his blood soaking into the sand instead of running out on the deck of the ship...and all that hate surged back to the front of my mind like it was yesterday."

Liara reached up and gently pushed a stray strand of hair up behind Shepard's ear, caressed her cheek and then ran a hand gently down her arm before turning and leaning back on the couch next to Samantha, now clasping the hand she held with both of hers. "Oh, Shepard. I don't know what to say, but I will be here for you. Just you. As long as you need me." She closed her eyes and gently leaned against Samantha's warm shoulder.

After a moment, Shepard withdrew her hand and wrapped it around Liara's waist, pulling the Asari in. She pressed a soft kiss onto Liara's crest and rested her head against Liara's, whispering, "Thank you." They stayed that way, content in the quiet, peacefully resting for awhile before Shepard spoke again. "Liara? I'd like to share something with you. Something we don't normally talk about in the Alliance." Liara looked at the Spectre, but said nothing, just squeezed her hand and waited patiently for Shepard to continue.

"Faith. As in religion. What happened today made me think of something my mom told me a long time ago. I had asked her about my grandparents and she told me they were dead, that they had gone to Ankou." She saw the puzzled expression on Liara's face, the light of scientific curiosity, and she gave the Asari a sad smile. "I'm not surprised you don't recognize the name. We followed the Druids; it's one of the old religions and rarely practiced anymore. My mom's parents died very suddenly, in an accident when she was only seven. She was left alone in the world and raised in an orphanage. A Druid spoke to her and told her to not be angry, that we are not to judge the ways of the Gods. There was one in particular, Dwyn, the God of tricks and pranks. He told her that Dwyn exists to test our faith, to ensure we are ready and possess the strength to accomplish our divine purpose."

Shepard fell silent for a moment, then suddenly looked up and Liara was pierced by a dark green intensity as their eyes met. "It's hard to not be angry. I've already suffered loss, Liara, and I feel a lot more is yet to come with this hunt for Saren and the Reapers. I fear the trials. I fear how much more they may test me before I prove worthy of whatever task they have designed for me." Her eyes glassed over and her grip on Liara's hand became desperate. " _I_ _onúin álainn_ , there is some loss that would break me, that I would not... could not endure." She fell silent, her penetrating stare searching the depths of Liara's soul, hoping she had communicated her fear without giving it a name. There was power in a name, and the last thing she wanted to do was to give this particular fear a name.

"Goddess, Shepard. I..." Liara stopped speaking; she realized she had no words. She had no way to express her feelings at that moment; the love, the angst, the concern, the fear, the hope. It was all of that and more, so she settled for leaning into Shepard and clutching her in a crushing embrace that promised an eternity. As her mind settled, the words finally came. "I am with you, Shepard. Whatever trials there may be, we will succeed, together. We will find and defeat Saren. We will stop the Reapers. And we will stop Cerberus and keep them from destroying any more of humanity; for the Marines, for Kahoku, for your father... for you." She did not release her hold until she felt Shepard relax into her arms. When she did, Liara sat back and gently caressed Shepard's cheek. No more words were spoken, but her soft blue eyes spoke of a love and affection that would transcend boundaries of time and space, and Shepard found peace.

\-------------------------------

Liara had returned to her room after dinner, wanting some time alone to organize her thoughts and steel herself for whatever she may have to face. Shepard wrote a bit more in her journal and crawled into bed alone. She felt fortunate when she didn't have any nightmares and didn't wake until Joker had chimed in... "Good morning, Commander. Just giving you your two-hour-out call for Noveria."

Shepard paused for a moment before issuing her response. "Thanks Joker. Shout out a ship-wide. This may be an all-hands mission, so I need everyone up and ready."

A final "Roger that, Ma'am," and the room returned to peaceful quiet.

Shepard got up and dressed, then headed to the conference room for the mission brief to the crew; she would go in initially with Team 1 to scout the situation and then determine their course of action. Kaidan's death had caused a shuffle in the team composition, so she would now have Liara and Ashley with her. She hated doing it, but she had to move Wrex to Team 2 so they would have a biotic. Shepard liked having the big Krogan Battlemaster on her team, if for nothing other than the intimidation factor. He prevented some fights from even getting started. It also meant they had no Alliance in Team 2. As a joint Alliance-Turian venture, she put Garrus in charge of the second team for now. She made a note to herself to talk to Anderson about getting Chief Williams a Naval field commission. They anticipated being greeted with at least suspicion at Noveria, if not outright hostility, and they were not disappointed. Just trying to get docking permission, they had to invoke Shepard's Spectre status, and the ship was threatened with impound if the status could not be verified. Once docked, the crew disembarked and Shepard told Joker to put the Normandy in lockdown; by no means were any Noveria personnel to be allowed on board. Team 1 left the docking facility and walked toward the Port Hanshan entrance, only to be greeted by an unfriendly, armed group.

An oriental looking human in the center of the group of three held up her hand, "That's far enough. This is an unscheduled arrival. I'll need your credentials."

Shepard grimaced. _Nice welcoming committee._ "You first."

A tough looking blonde growled out, "We're the law here, show some respect!" The oriental glanced at the blonde and then answered, "I'm Captain Maeko Matsuo, Elanus Risk Control Services."

"I'm a Spectre, my name is Shepard."

The blonde barked out, "Load of horse crap, ma'am!" Matsuo again glanced at the blonde, and told Shepard, "We will need to confirm that. Also, I must advise you that firearms are not permitted on Noveria." Looking at the blonde, she followed with "Sgt Sterling, secure their weapons." At that, Shepard quickly drew her pistol and pointed it at the captain, Ashley quickly drew her assault rifle and Liara glowed blue with biotic power, backing their commander.

A brief standoff ensued, and Liara surprised Shepard by speaking, "It would not be wise to search for the Geth, unarmed."

Shepard never wavered, keeping her sights on the captain. "That's not gonna happen. We're keeping our weapons."

A voice came over a loudspeaker, "Capt Matsuo, stand down. We've confirmed their identity. Spectres are authorized to carry weapons here, Captain."

Everyone cautiously lowered their weapons and Capt Matsuo motioned toward the door. "You may proceed, Spectre. I hope the rest of your visit will be less...confrontational. Parasini will meet you upstairs."

Sgt Sterling looked incredibly disappointed, like she was itching for a fight, and grumbled a veiled threat at the commander, "Behave yourself," before stepping aside to let them pass.

As they entered the port, the entire team noted two floating defense drones; Shepard was very glad the brief confrontation didn't end up being more. They went up a short set of stairs to the right, and walked into a very small lobby. As Shepard entered, she crossed through a blue beam and alarms started going off. A woman behind the lobby counter moved efficiently to shut them down.

"Weapons detectors, don't mind the alarms...I'm Gianna Parasini, assistant to Administrator Anoleis. We apologize for the incident in the docking bay."

Shepard smiles, "I appreciate your help, that could have gotten ugly...fast."

"You're welcome. You understand our security chief was only doing her job. One of my jobs is orientation of new arrivals. Do you have any questions?"

Shepard had quite a few, and went straight to work getting them answered. Most importantly, she asked about any unusual visitors, only to discover Matriarch Benezia had passed through just a few days prior, on her way to the Peak 15 Research Center; she had not yet returned. Liara could not help but react, "Benezia? She is here?" Shepard heard the questions, but pressed on without pause and asked how to get to the site. Parasini informed Shepard she would need to get clearance from Anoleis to leave the port. After getting directions to the administrator's office, Shepard turned to Liara to discuss the situation and double check one more time on Liara's emotional state. As soon as Shepard turned around, Liara's eyes met hers. Liara spoke, obviously stressed, "She is really here. I almost cannot believe it."

Shepard concentrated on Liara's face as she asked, "Are you still ok with this...still want to come? I'll understand if you change your mind..." Shepard was still trying to spare her, to give Liara an out.

Liara took a deep breath, and her voice was calm and level as she spoke. "Absolutely, Commander. I must know. I cannot back out now. I...would never forgive myself." Shepard said nothing, but nodded, a grim expression on her face, and the team headed for the elevator up to the main port. On the way, Shepard noted yet another defense drone. _ERCS is pretty serious about their security, could get nasty, and we could definitely use Tali's hacking skills._

Once they entered the main facility, Shepard's first stop was a Hanar merchant, named Opold, hoping he carried basic sundries and maybe some clothes. Unfortunately, the only items he had were weapons, mods, and armor; not what Liara needed. They were about to leave when the merchant queried the Spectre on a possible business arrangement. The Hanar had an odd tempo to his speech, "This one has procured a special item for a customer. The item is not permitted within the station, but you could bring it through Customs."

Shepard frowned, "You want me to use my status to smuggle for you? I won't carry anything, if I don't know what it is, and I want to make sure I'm not equipping my own enemy."

"Your assessment is not inaccurate, and your requested assurances are not unreasonable, so this one will comply. This one assures you, the contents pose no danger to anyone within this port. The customer is a Krogan bounty hunter of some repute, and quick to anger. You understand this one's urgency. That other grows restless from the delay. If you assist, this one will compensate you accordingly." Shepard contemplated the not so friendly welcome they'd received, and felt it an odd sort of justice to help the Hanar sneak something through. She'd been known to sneak tobacco or alcohol into off-limits places in her time. This didn't really seem much different, so agreed to the deal. Opold made a call, and the item was delivered to the Normandy. Shepard called the Normandy and asked them to dispatch Tali and have her bring the package. In typical fashion, Tali arrived quickly, and with their business deal concluded, headed to the Administrator's office.

Anoleis was not pleased with the Spectre's arrival, already speaking as Shepard walked in. "You will excuse me if I don't get up. I don't have time to entertain space-born vagabonds." Shepard had no time to be bothered by lame insults, not even really sure if he was talking about her or Tali. The Spectre got straight to business, asking about Saren and Benezia. Anoleis confirmed that Saren was a major investor in Binary Helix, and that his executor, Matriarch Benezia had passed through a few days prior, with a personal escort and cargo, en route to Peak 15. He also stated that Peak 15 was a private facility, and poor weather conditions prohibited travel; shuttles were grounded and surface access was cut off.

Shepard commented, "Surface access, you say."

Anoleis replied tartly, "Cut off, I said. The roads are not suitable for travel. Don't make an issue of this, Shepard."

Since Tali was always in her envirosuit, it was easy for her to flip to a private channel and speak into Shepard's ear. "Let him be stubborn, Shepard. I'm sure someone else here is willing to help us." Seeing the wisdom in that statement, Shepard let it slide and asked about both the escort and the cargo. Anoleis sighed in frustration. The cargo had been scanned, with no banned substances or weapons traces found, and the escort was a group of Asari commandos, common enough escorts for a Matriarch, so everyone and everything was allowed to pass through.

With their questions answered, Shepard thanked the administrator, only to be dismissively waived away. "Yes, yes, you have no idea how many important calls I just missed because of your banal discussion."

As they left the office, Shepard heard Giana Parasini comment about the fact that the administrator was not the only person in Port Hanshan to have a garage pass. She stopped and walked back to the assistant. Parasini spoke very quietly and quickly. "I can't say much, just talk to Lorik Quin. You should find him at the hotel bar." Shepard raised an eyebrow, and Giana nodded 'yes' and waived the commander away. As they walked to the hotel, Shepard wondered about Parasini's angle in all this. _Why is she in such a hurry to get me to the peak? Maybe she's just in a hurry for me to be gone from here..._

There weren't many people in the hotel bar, so it did not take long to find Mr Quin. Shepard asked a few questions, about reactions to the Matriarch's passage, the commandos, and if he knew anything about the purpose of her visit. To that, Lorik stated, "She claimed to be Saren's assistant, here to get a certain project back on track." Satisfied, Shepard then asked about getting to Peak 15, mentioning that Anoleis wouldn't give them access to the garage. Lorik thought perhaps they could work a deal. He revealed he was the manager of the local Synthetic Insights office. Anoleis had closed the office, supposedly to investigate reports of corruption, when in truth, Anoleis was the corrupt one and he was searching Synthetic Insights for evidence that Quin had against him. Lorik offered the Spectre a trade. "If you recover the evidence from my office, I will give you my garage pass, as well as a sum of credits. I cannot do it myself, because Anolais has some of the ERCS guards on the payroll, and I am unarmed. He's paying them under the table, Capt Matsuo is unaware of, and unsupportive of, shall we say, additional... employment. As in this case, it can create a conflict of interests."

Shepard contemplated the situation, and accepted Lorik Quin's offer. "If the guards are working as mercenaries, they're crooked. If they insist on getting in our way, we'll take care of it." Quin was happy the Spectre took him up on the offer, and provided Shepard with an office passcard and a disk containing the decryption key to allow access to the office computer files. As they headed for the elevator, Shepard joked with Ashley. "I'm feeling more and more like a politician every minute here, Ash."

Ashley laughed and responded, "No, Commander, you were right. Politicians don't have guns. Negotiators, however, sometimes have to use force. I'm with you on this one!" The two soldiers grinned at one another while Liara and Tali just looked at each other in confusion, Tali shrugging her shoulders and Liara shaking her head.

\-------------------------------

When the team arrived at the Synthetic Insights office, there were two guards at the doorway. They were easily convinced to disappear, with talk of Spectre authority and potentially illegal employment, not to mention they faced two against four odds. The lead guard simply stated, "I'll tell you what. You pretend you didn't see us, and we'll pretend we didn't see you," and they walked out, leaving Shepard and her team free to enter the office. That, however, did not solve the bigger issue. There were still a number of guards inside who were not so cooperative, and as Shepard had promised Quin, they took care of it. The four man team made quick work of the two guards on the first level, with Tali overloading shields, Liara lifting them helplessly into the air, and Ashley doing target practice. That left Shepard free to biotically charge a third guard headed down the steps to join the fight, finishing him off with a shotgun blast after crushing the guard into a wall.

A fourth guard ran around the corner at the top of the steps, thought better of it and ducked back into cover. It didn't matter, as the combined fire of the Normandy team quickly ended the fight. They moved on to Lorik's desk, and Tali downloaded the desired evidence, using the decryption key Quin provided. Once they were done, leaving the office proved to be a bit more of a challenge. Letting the first two guards leave had been an error, as it gave them opportunity to call in reinforcements. The grumpy blonde, Sgt Sterling, was waiting for them when they came out, more than ready to try and ease her earlier disappointment, with a team of four more behind her. Sterling tipped her hand when she sneered, "Well, I don't need a gun to rip you to pieces!" The team immediately realized she was a biotic, and took appropriate action. Liara launched a singularity, dropping Sterling's shields, and Shepard was close enough for her shotgun to have devastating effect. Ashley ducked down behind a wall and worked hard to pin two guards down on the lower level, and Tali launched an attack drone. There was a guard at the top of the stairs, who proved to be a sniper loaded with armor piercing ammo. He tagged Shepard as she was changing out weapons from her shotgun to her Locust SMG, completely dropping her shields and severely wounding her. Shepard cried out, dropped to her knees, and managed to roll behind some crates for cover, finding it hard to breathe through the pain. _Damn it! Same spot as last time... Chakwas is gonna have my hide!_ Her eyes closed as she felt someone's knee jab into her side as they slid into cover beside her. Her last conscious thought was _Liara_.


	18. Climbing the Peak

Liara saw Shepard go down and roll behind cover. She was going to drop back to check on Samantha, but saw the Chief slide in beside her. Since Shepard was being taken care of, T'Soni focused her energies on the person that injured her love. She was furious, and tossed a biotic throw with all her power that launched the sniper like a rocket, throwing him across the entire room and smashing him into the opposite wall. He did not get up. That still left one guard upstairs and one down. Tali's drone was pestering the upstairs guard and had weakened his shields significantly, so Liara finished him off easily with her Shuriken. Tali launched a replacement drone to chase the sole remaining ERCS, who was still downstairs.

Shepard wasn't moving, and Ashley was worried. _Shit!_ She jumped up and crossed the open area, sliding into cover beside the commander, who grunted slightly when Ash bumped to a stop against her side. _Thank God, she's alive!_ Ash leaned out and blasted off a few rounds from her assault rifle and ducked back into cover. She could tell Liara was pissed off, and watched her launch a bolt that made the room echo, practically ripping that sniper in half, then immediately turning and using her SMG to finish off the only upstairs guard still standing. _Holy shit! I gotta remember to never make T'Soni mad!_ All the upper level guards were down and Tali and Liara were handling the remaining guy well enough on their own, so Ash focused on the commander. She released the catches on Shepard's armor and peeled it open. Ashley cussed and pulled out her field med kit. It wasn't a through and through, so the bullet lodged somewhere inside, and Ash had to dig. Ash ripped open a small packet of bleed stop and dumped it in the hole, slowing the flow so Shepard wouldn't bleed too much while Ash worked. Using her omnitool scanner and forceps, she reached in and grabbed the offending bullet and removed it. It had probably dragged back and forth across that rib, tearing Shepard's side oblique muscles with every breath. _That had to hurt like a bitch. No wonder she's out._ She apologized, "Sorry, Shepard," and dumped in a dose of antiseptic rinse to cleanse the wound.

Shepard screamed herself awake, her hand clamping down on the thigh of the person sitting next to her. "Hey! Ease up there, Skipper! I'm using most of my med kit on you... I won't have anything to fix my leg if you try to rip a chunk off!" Ashley spoke while she started dumping medigel onto the wound and Shepard's grip on her thigh loosened as the pain killing properties started to take effect. Shepard's scream brought Liara and Tali running up the stairs, guns drawn.

As they arrived, Shepard finally opened her eyes and looked around. Everyone knew she was going to be alright when she slapped a forced grin on her face and let out a pained laugh. "Shit. I might as well just go back to the ship and leave the Chief in charge. Y'all did fine without me."

Tali laughed. "Oh no you don't, Shepard! I told you I didn't want the job. You have to stick around to take the fire, because I'm not doing it for you anymore. I'm sure no one else wants to do it either!"

Shepard laid still for a few more minutes, until her breathing smoothed out and the pain meds took full effect. As she was refastening her armor, Liara knelt down at her side to help her stand. Liara didn't say a word, but when Samantha looked at her, the Asari's concern was written all over her face. Shepard spoke softly, "Sorry, Blue. Didn't mean to worry you. Help me up?" Liara didn't trust her voice, so only nodded and offered her support until the commander was firmly standing on her own two feet.

Tali had retrieved Shepard's shotgun, and walked over to return it. "This is what worried me, Shepard. I've never seen you drop a weapon. Ever. Even when that rocket drone blasted you silly."

Shepard laughed softly. "You just haven't been with me long enough yet, Tali. I've been known to drop all kinds of things. You'll see. Ash, see if you can restock your med kit from supplies here in the office; I'll check some of the other storage bins for anything good; Quin owes us that much for this mess. Now, let's get on with it. I'm already tired of this planet."

As they stepped out of the elevator back at the main level, they were met by Parasini. "Commander, there have been reports of noise from the Synthetic Insights' office. Would you know anything about it?"

Shepard still didn't trust Parasini's motives, so responded, "It's probably Anoleis' thugs ripping the place apart."

Parasini came back with "Smart ass, huh? That's fine, I can work with that. Meet me at the hotel for a drink, before you talk to Quin. I'll be waiting." She vanished down the hallway before Shepard could ask any questions. Shepard set a nice slow pace toward the hotel, trying to gently stretch her side and get a feel for her range of motion. She needed to know her limits before the next fight. When they reached the bar, Parasini was waiting. She reintroduced herself as Noverian Internal Affairs, and she had been working undercover for six months. She wanted Quin to testify before the Executive Board to take Anoleis down for corruption. Quin's evidence and testimony was all she needed to close the case. Parasini promised Shepard any access she needed if she could convince Quin to testify, and Shepard took her up on the offer. The next challenge was to convince Quin to do it. Shepard won the debate by telling Quin the Executive Board was the investigative authority, and he would gain the board's favor by helping them out, and it would certainly help Synthetic Insights to have a favorable board opinion toward their company. Parasini was very happy, and provided Shepard with a garage pass and access to a Mako.

When the trio reached the garage, an ERCS guard stopped them, but only momentarily, immediately recognizing the pass issued by Parasini. The team entered the garage, and Shepard almost immediately noticed Geth along the back wall, seeing at least two Destroyers and a Stalker. The commander lit up one of the Destroyers with her SMG, following it up with a warp, while Liara targeted the Stalker with a singularity, followed up with her Shuriken. Tali launched an attack drone, and set to work pulling up an overload to hit the second Destroyer's shields. The first Destroyer went down, and the second charged forward, closing the gap incredibly quickly. Tali and Liara were on the spot, dropping its shields and slamming the charging Destroyer with a warp at close range. From the background, Ashley had been busy covering her teammates with her sniper, helping Liara finish the Stalker and the second Destroyer. She had also taken down a Rocket Trooper before it got off a single shot. With the garage now cleared, they had access to the Mako. It was a standard version, so really only took three personnel. Shepard looked at her team. "I normally have Wrex with me, so I'm sure the four of us can fit. Any objections or a volunteer to stay behind?" She glanced across everyone's face and saw nothing but silent steely glares across the board. "Alright, then. Mount up. We're going to Peak 15..."

When they exited the garage, the team realized just how bad the weather really was. Ash thought there was a reason ground transportation was suspended, Tali said something to Shepard about not getting them killed, and Liara wished Ashley was behind the wheel instead of Samantha. No one appreciated Shepard's apparent inability to drive the Mako well, but the commander surprised them. In poor weather, she actually drove...safely; the team was amazed, and after Tali's initial remark, no one commented during the whole trip. The roads were extremely slick, and the path wove up the side of the mountain, with no guard rails or safety features of any kind. What should have been the safest portions of the trip, where they had to cross bridges or go through tunnels, were deadly choke points, and they faced numerous types of Geth and turrets. Using basically the same types of tactics they used at Feros to cross the Skyway, even with the blizzard, Samantha Shepard delivered them, unharmed, to their destination; they had arrived. They got out of the Mako and stood before the doors of the gigantic facility that had suddenly loomed out of the blizzard in front of them. Shepard looked to Liara, catching her eyes. One last check before plunging into the belly of the beast, Shepard asked her, "Dr T'Soni. You ready?"

A flicker of doubt, so quick Shepard questioned whether she had actually seen it or not, was replaced by a look filled with grim determination before Liara spoke her short answer accompanied with a nod of her head. "Yes, Commander." The brevity of the response did nothing to lessen the tension in the air as they opened the doorway and stepped into the Peak 15 Research Center.

The team entered through a small anteroom that obviously acted as a buffer between the severe exterior conditions and the inside of the facility. Tali piped up, "We have hostiles inside, Shepard. I'm picking up at least three signatures." With a signal from the commander, the team fell into a battle formation with her and Ashley in the front, Liara and Tali as support bringing up the rear.

As they came into the main garage, Shepard started barking orders, "T'Soni, Krogan, left flank! Tali, overload, Juggernaut! Ash, cover fire!" Shepard sprinted into the room to the first pile of crates where she could gain cover, launching a warp as she ran. Tali had already started working up an overload as soon as she had detected enemies, so was able to launch it almost as soon as Shepard called out her target. The Juggernaut's shields dropped immediately, and between the warp and combined weapons fire, it was the first target down.

Directly behind the Juggernaut were a second Krogan and a Geth repair drone. Shepard dropped back and started to roll to the right in a flanking maneuver, when she saw Liara charge up to the cover the commander had just vacated. Shepard shouted out, "Tali, take out that repair drone before we have to kill these damn things twice!" Tali focused her attack to keep the repair drone from working, while Liara threw a warp, dropping the Krogan's shields. Shepard immediately aborted the flanking maneuver and pulled on her biotics to charge the Krogan before he got his shields back up, smashing into him with incredible force and sending him flying.

Ash finished him off and called out, "Shepard, cover! Shock, Destroyer and Krogan inbound!" Shepard dived behind a small crate to gain at least limited cover when the Destroyer opened fire, but nothing even got close because Liara had slid in right behind her and thrown up a barrier. Tali had taken down the repair drone, and initialized a hack on the Shock Troop while Liara and Shepard fired from each side of the small crate they were behind. Liara threw out a biotic lift and suspended the last Krogan, who Shepard then blasted across the room with a warp. With the hacked Shock Trooper's help, the Destroyer went down pretty fast. The team of four finished off the Shock Trooper, and then stopped to take a breather and plan their next move.

A virtual intelligence (VI) automated warning notice spoke in the background, about the facility suffering a great deal of damage, biohazard materials being present throughout the facility and the VI user interface being off-line. Tali piped in about the need to get the power reactors back up if they wanted access to any of the automated systems. Shepard grumbled, "Would be nice if we could at least get a map of the damn place," and they pressed onward. The group passed through a small hallway that had turrets facing in, not out, and Shepard cussed under her breath. "Shit. We've definitely got unfriendlies in here... the turrets are faced to keep something in, not us out!"

Liara answered thoughtfully, "Perhaps it is an automated defense system, preventing escape of Geth that have infiltrated the facility?"

Ashley, who had been pretty quiet to this point other than letting her sniper do the talking, added, "Just hope they don't try to keep us from leaving once we cross the threshold!" The group fell into an uncomfortable silence as they moved on. They came to the end of the hallway and found an elevator; with no other options, they climbed aboard and pressed the button, prepared for whatever the doors revealed at the other end.

When the doors opened, the temperature dropped significantly; this part of the facility had suffered severe damage, the windows were shattered, and snow had blown in and drifted up against the walls. Another door was ahead, and sensors indicated at least five hostiles on the other side. Shepard paused briefly before opening the door, glancing quickly across the squad and got ready indications from them all before she and Ashley launched into the room. Directly ahead was a Geth Trooper with only light shields, and a well placed shot from Ash, combined with Shepard's assault rifle, quickly took it out of the picture. An overload and a warp from Tali and Liara took care of another Geth on the left flank before Shepard even knew what type of platform it was. The room was some type of mess hall, tables and chairs overturned and scattered, with two tall concrete dividers separating the room into sections. The dividers provided great cover...for the Geth. As Shepard rounded the end of the first divider, she came face to face with a Shock Trooper. She immediately dropped and rolled, trying to evade, but not before the Trooper blasted her at close range, completely dropping her shields.

Liara watched in horror, not having a line of sight on the Geth, unable to do anything to help; she ran forward to get better positioned, praying Samantha lived long enough for it to matter. Tali launched an attack drone and knew it would not get there in time. Ashley did the only thing she could; she fired off one shot from her sniper and charged the Geth, spinning her rifle around and slamming the butt of the rifle into the barrel of the Geth assault rifle. It was enough. Throwing off the Geth's aim, it bought critical time for Shepard to come up onto one knee and rip the Trooper's shields down with her assault rifle. The commander felt a charge of static electricity building over her right shoulder before she saw the ball of blue power pick up the Geth and send it careening to the far wall where it crumpled into an immobile heap. Shepard was surprised by a sharp cuff on the rear of her helmet. She glanced back over her shoulder, starting a sentence, "What the...." but her words died when she saw the expression on Liara's face. _Fear?_ Shepard's eyes narrowed in realization, and she gave an acknowledging nod, before facing forward and standing up. She had been careless, and gotten lucky when her team responded quickly enough to save her ass. _Can't let that happen again...I have someone counting on me, Samantha, not the commander, being here tomorrow_. Shepard's lips quirked up for just an instant at the thought before she refocused and pressed forward.

Head back in the game, Shepard approached the next corner a bit more cautiously, peeking out first, instead of charging recklessly around the corner. She saw two more Troopers, one of which was engaged by Tali's attack drone. Shepard quickly signaled Ash and Tali to finish that one off, then nodded at Liara to follow her to the second partition to flank the last remaining Geth. Liara had put a lot of energy into the last warp she'd thrown, and when Shepard nodded at her, she had seen no blue glow on T'Soni's hands. _Not enough time to recharge yet._ The commander readied a biotic throw and rolled around the corner. The biotic blast dropped the Geth's shields, and Liara finished it off easily with her Shuriken.

With all the Geth down, the team regrouped in the center of the room in preparation to go upstairs. As they came together, a loud creaking noise and a squeal grabbed their attention, but the sound echoed, and they couldn't tell where it came from. The group all stood together, back to back, checking in all directions; Shepard glanced to the upper deck and saw something that made her blood run cold. Behind a full glass wall, there was a very large creature resembling a brown ant, four feet on the ground, a pair of forward claws, and an upper pair of extendible arms with some sort of pods on the ends. The pods had three petals, and Shepard couldn't tell what they were. Blades? Grapples? As she watched, the creature reared up and squealed again. There was no time to wonder what the hell it was, as Tali yelled out, "I hate spiders!" Shepard's head snapped around just in time to see a green spider-looking thing scuttle across the floor near them, only to be vaporized by Tali's shotgun. There were three or four of them, easily destroyed, apparently more creepy than dangerous, but no one wanted to get bit by one to find out.

Once the immediate threat was eliminated, Shepard called out the creature on the upper deck. There was a chorus of surprised exclamations, Tali with a "Keelah!", Ash with a "What the fuck?", and Liara with her standby "Goddess!" All Shepard could do was think, _what the hell are those things?_ Everyone quickly realized there was more than one, and as the first one cleared the glass hallway into the open, Liara slapped it with a singularity. At the same time, Shepard learned exactly what those pod like appendages were...launchers! As the creature rounded the corner, one of the pods opened and launched green goo, scoring a direct hit on the commander. Her suit toxin alarms immediately started ringing and she tried to warn her teammates of the threat, unsure if any of them heard it above the roar of gunfire. The singularity also captured the second creature as it moved toward the end of the hall, enabling the team to finish off both creatures while they were incapacitated. Shepard shook her head and knelt down, and immediately felt Ash's hand on her shoulder. "Commander, you ok?"

Shepard answered quickly, "Yeah, just feeling a little queasy. Watch that green goo. It went right through my shields like they were nothing and that single shot immediately reduced my toxin filters by twenty percent. Concentrated fire by a couple of them could put us down quick. The scrubbers are working hard to clear it, but my system hasn't recovered yet. Ideas? Anybody?" _So much for the idea that if you turn off the heat, everything will die! Whose bright idea was that, anyway?_

Liara spoke as the team kept moving, "Xenobiology is not my field; maybe someone in the labs knows." Just then a floor grate exploded upward, and another of the creatures came roaring out of the ducting, once again nailing Shepard with a pile of goo, staggering her on her feet, her system still not recovered from the first shot. The team blasted the creature into nonexistence and everyone glanced warily at the commander.

Shepard looked at the faces in her squad. "Yeah, yeah...ok. Let's hang for a couple until my scrubbers are fully recovered. I really don't want to see my breakfast again. Tali, see if you can hack into that terminal while we wait."

Tali rolled her eyes. "Really, Shepard? See if I can hack it? Don't you really mean to say 'do it' and tell you if there is anything interesting?" Shepard just rolled her eyes at the young Quarian and said nothing; there was no doubt she was a skilled technician, and was in her element. Tali had definitely emerged from her little shy shell and had hacked into the terminal in no time, "It's a personal log, Administrator Tartakovsky, three shipments lost in the Macedon system this month, wishes some transporter named Gregor still carried their stuff. Says no mercs would dare stop him. That's all there is." Shepard nodded, her toxin screener now showing green so she indicated all clear to the team; it was time to move again. They encountered one more of the creatures, easily dispatched, before they finally cleared the mess hall and moved to the next section of the station. An elevator sent them up one more floor into what appeared to be the VI central hub, with hallways going to a tram station on the left, a communications hub straight ahead and the main reactor to the right. There were a few of the little green spider things running around, easily removed, and Shepard looked at Tali, grinning as she said, "Ok, Tali. VI hub. Fix it."

Shepard could see Tali's eyes light up behind her facemask, and could hear the smile in her voice as she said, "yes, ma'am" as she disappeared into the VI core.   As Tali returned from the core, the VI, called Mira, came online. After a brief conversation, Shepard ascertained they only needed to get power on and communications up to return the station to fully operational status.

Mira indicated she would be able to provide them a more current and accurate status update after the landlines were repaired, so that became the first task. The landline cables had been automatically ejected when the emergency protocols were implemented. The repair sounded simple enough; they just needed to take the elevator to the roof and plug the lines back in. The team easily accessed the roof via the elevator, and as the external blast door opened, Shepard could readily see the panel that controlled the landline connections. Unfortunately, the minute they cleared the doorway, their sensors lit up with multiple bogeys, at least five of the big creatures and multiple little spider things, more than they could accurately count with all the motion that abruptly exploded around them. The initial onslaught was challenging; with so many dual-barreled assailants, all four team members got slammed by toxic goo. Since Feros, Liara had enhanced her toxin seals and filters, so her contamination was minimal, along with Tali's, due to her standard envirosuit design, so the two of them were back at full force in no time. Shepard and Liara managed to limit the front line assault with a throw and a singularity, while Ashley dropped to a knee and started picking off anything the singularity pulled in. Tali launched an attack drone that found the little spider things easy pickings and then started blasting away with her shotgun. Liara concentrated on maintaining her singularity, while blasting away with her SMG. As the remaining bugs were being eliminated, the last big ant thing got in one more shot on Shepard before she finished it off with a lift and her assault rifle. _My toxin filters are definitely getting a workout on this mission!_ After a quick reconnaissance of the roof to pick up any useful items and to let Shepard and Ashley's systems fully recover, the team retired to the elevator and returned to the central hub.

The team then headed off to the reactor; according to the VI, all they needed to do was reopen the helium-3 fuel lines. Shepard harbored no doubts the mission was not going to be as simple as all that. They ran into one more of the large creatures on the way, but accessed the reactor elevator with minimal difficulty. As they entered the anteroom to the reactor, they got a quick blip on their sensors before jamming blocked the signal. Tali immediately muttered, Geth!" and started programming her omnitool for an overload, swinging into cover at the right-hand side of the door. Liara's hands started to glow with power at the ready and Ash swung to the left and went to one knee, partially behind cover at the side of the door, prepping her sniper. The commander did a quick check on the squad readiness and opened the door. A Destroyer stood on a ramp up to the left, and Tali immediately overloaded its shields and Liara captured it in a singularity; two barks of Ashley's sniper and the Destroyer was history. One of those annoying frog things, a Geth Stalker, dropped onto the path directly in front of the Commander, and Samantha promptly smeared it down the path with a warp.

The ramp doubled back on itself, and as Shepard rounded the corner and started up the second half, gunfire erupted behind her. Spinning, Samantha saw Liara firing at a second Stalker, high up on the wall. Shepard called out "Tali, get a drone on that thing!" as she started blasting away with her assault rifle. Ashley advanced into the room, looking for an opening to no avail. Liara's biotics finally recharged and she trapped it in a singularity, allowing Ash to pick it off. Taking out the second Stalker eliminated the jamming, and the team could once again rely on their sensors to locate the enemy. They were no longer flying blind, and the remaining Geth locations were easily identified. The team circled around and opened one final door...inside was a Geth Juggernaut, fully shielded, primed and waiting. Shepard quickly threw a warp as the Juggernaut launched an extremely powerful distortion rocket. At such close range, Shepard had absolutely no hope of dodging it and took the rocket full in the chest, dropping her shields to only 30 percent and shoving her backward, hard and off balance. Her warp dropped the Geth's shields to fifty percent, but nowhere near enough to keep it from launching a second rocket at the staggered Shepard. As the remaining team members' combined fire on the Juggernaut destroyed the Geth, the second rocket impacted on Shepard, dropping her remaining shields, throwing her back and slamming her to the floor. Shepard's chest felt like it was on fire, she couldn't catch her breath, couldn't focus. Even though every alarm in her suit screamed; all she could hear was her heart hammering erratically in her ears.

After what seemed like an eternity of not being able to breathe, Shepard felt hands releasing the clamps on her armor and lifting a seemingly crushing weight off her chest, silencing the suit alarms. She felt her padding being removed and her compression shirt being rolled upward, followed by the tingling relief of medigel being spread across the entire front of her torso. Ashley cussed; not only was the commander bruised to hell and back, but the impact reopened the gunshot wound, and Ash had to repack it. As the pain receded, Shepard started hearing voices, Ash and Liara, trying to coax her back to responsiveness. The commander finally drew a deep breath, and immediately regretted it, the sudden expansion causing a sharp pain in her chest and making her bark out a painful cough. _Too soon, let the medigel take full effect..._ She let out a soft groan and closed her eyes, hoping to eliminate the nausea and swimming stars in her vision. She focused on controlling her breathing, like she was setting up for a sniper shot. As sensations other than pain started to return to her body, she realized that a hand gripped hers, and she squeezed in return, to confirm to her teammate she was conscious. Even with gloves on, she knew it was Blue when she heard a whispered, "Thank the Goddess."

When Ash heard Liara utter those words, she leaned in and spoke, "Come on, Skipper, quit slacking. Need to see those eyes open."

Everyone knew the commander was back when a raspy voice quietly responded, "Shit, Ash, gimmee a minute... I just barely started breathing again."

The commander, however, did open her eyes, and asked for help to sit up. Ash put a hand on her shoulder and told her to wait just a minute, checked her pupil dilation and asked if she could focus ok. After positive responses, they did help her sit up, leaving her armor backplate lying on the floor. Realizing she still had her assault rifle in her hand, Samantha released the grip and left it on the ground. Hearing a hiss from Liara, Ash looked at the commander's back. She grabbed the tube of medigel and started spreading. "God damn, Skipper! You're gonna be a walking black and blue mark. Chakwas is going to eat you for dinner when we get back." After a brief pause, Ash looked at her teammate, "You got her, Liara?" With a nod from her friend, Ash turned to Shepard's armor. "Jeez. I'll get Tali to help me with an emergency field repair...that second rocket actually bent the front of your chest plate in...No wonder you couldn't breathe!"

Shepard closed her eyes again and rolled her head and shoulders around, stretching her neck and back, letting out the occasional grunt. Liara had released her hand, and Samantha could feel the Asari's light support against her back, just barely making contact, ready to catch her if she started to fall. Shepard drew up her knees and rolled slowly away from Liara, sitting upright, perched on her knees and tips of her toes, her hands resting on her own thighs. She could sense Liara's hands carefully following her, ready to catch her should she go off balance. Shepard smiled gently, and opened her eyes again, to find the Asari staring at her intently, her eyes glassy; Sam could see the concern etched in her face. Shepard spoke softly, "Thanks, Blue. I'll be fine. That hard landing just knocked the wind out of me, and I just couldn't seem to find it again. I think the impact stunned my solar plexus, and it just wouldn't work right for a minute there. Thanks for peeling me out of my armor." Getting no response, Shepard reached out and caressed a cheek. "Ok, how about helping me get up on my feet?" Liara seemed to shake herself, and nodded agreement, still not speaking. Shepard grabbed her rifle and as Liara reached over to steady the commander, Sam felt Liara's shaking grip. Turning to her, Shepard dipped her head a bit to catch Liara's eyes. "You ok?" she asked gently. "Talk to me, Blue."

Liara took a deep, ragged breath and exhaled slowly, speaking very quietly so no one else would hear. "I thought I was scared when you got shot at Synthetic Insights. I didn't know what scared was until every alarm on your suit started going off at the same time!"

Shepard could tell the Asari was on the verge of tears, so tried to diffuse the situation. She shrugged her shoulders gently and focused on keeping her voice perfectly level as she spoke. "Ahh, the suit malfunctioned from the impact, I think. The gunshot was definitely the worse of the two. This one didn't even make me drop my weapon! Life of a Vanguard. It might take a while, but believe me, you'll actually get used to it."

Liara shook her head, answering, "Never. I will never get used to seeing you get hurt!" Shepard's hearty laugh did more to calm the Asari than anything she could have possibly said.

With that infuriating lopsided grin on her face, Shepard clapped the chagrined Asari on the shoulder. "Remember those words, Blue. Remember them when I point them out to you sometime in your not too distant future!"

Tali finally walked up to the group, reporting that while Shepard was taking a break and laying down on the job, she finished repairing the fuel lines, hacked a couple of completely worthless terminals, and cracked the encryption on all the storage lockers in the area, finding some pretty decent mods, and a new Stiletto IV pistol for Liara, assuming she was still looking to replace the one lost on Therum. Liara's eyes lit up with the news, and Shepard laughed. "Go ahead and take it, you look like a kid at Christmas." At Liara's questioning look, Shepard's eyes got wide. "What? You don't know about Christmas?" With the responding shake of the head, an exasperated Shepard said, "Dr T'Soni, you and me? We're gonna have a talk. Don't you dare plan anything when we get back except time to eat."

Shepard walked over to Ash to check on the armor repair. Ash wasn't happy as she handed it back. "Commander, I did the best I can for a field repair. It won't pinch your chest anymore, but I can't reinforce it enough for my liking. It's got a big weak spot now in the center. Don't take any front-on shots. I'm not sure it will hold."

Shepard just shrugged. "It is what it is, Ash. Not like I've got a choice. All I can say is I'll try to be careful." Tali grabbed Shepard's pads, Liara grabbed the backplate and they returned to the elevator, dressing Shepard as they returned to the central hub. Once there, Shepard checked in once more with Mira to get one last situation update before heading to the transportation hub. She learned an existing decontamination process is in place, and while the system was not functional, repairs could be made onsite with a standard omnitool. _Piece of cake for Tali..._

While in the elevator to the transit hub platform, they listened to the VI rattle through the current user alerts, "loose contaminants in the decontamination chamber, access to passenger tramways inadvisable." Once there, Shepard looked through the window into the decontamination room and saw two of the large creatures and a couple of the smaller spider things. Tali went to work on the Plasma Purge device and had it fixed in no time. Shepard hit the button, and five seconds of an intense, blasting plasma burn later, the decontamination chamber was empty; it was time to press forward. Ashley and Tali hung back at the safety door, Ash with her sniper and Tali launching an attack drone to be ready when the door opened. Liara stood ready to launch a singularity, offset slightly to the left roughly halfway through the decontamination chamber. When everyone was set, Shepard approached the door panel to the right of the doorway, assault rifle at the ready, and punched the open button. The door snapped open to reveal at least four of the spiders already in the hallway, with more entering at the far end. Shepard quickly dispatched the closest two, and Liara stopped any from getting closer by setting a singularity a short distance up the hallway. Tali's attack drone drifted in and promptly eliminated the rest with ease. Once the hall was empty of spiders, the path to the tram station was clear. It was turning into a really long day, and it wasn't over yet. It was time to head to Rift Station and find the Matriarch.


	19. Belly of the Beast

Having wiped out the last of the big bugs, the remainder of the team's transit to the tram platform itself was relatively uneventful. They easily boarded the tram and moved toward Rift Station, which was surprisingly vacant upon their arrival. There were only two exits; one went to the Hot Labs, but required a special pass they obviously didn't have, and the other went to Rift Station Central.   Their options limited, the team climbed in and the elevator moved upward. When the elevator doors opened, they were greeted by a small ERCS security force led by Capt Ventralis. He was curious as to who they were, but was happy for any two-legged, armed assistance. Once he realized he had the talents of a Spectre team available, he gave them a quick rundown on the current situation. Only one person, a Volus named Han Olar, survived to get out of the Hot Labs alive, and Matriarch Benezia had gone down to the labs just the day prior; she had not yet returned. Security was tight, but the large creatures attacked every few hours and the guards were getting tired. They were surviving on long shifts and stimulants; not the best situation, but options were limited, given the circumstances. Happy to have a Spectre on board, Capt Ventralis gave Shepard a pass to the Hot Labs, and an offer of medical care in the main facility. Shepard thanked him for the information, and turned to her team.

"Chief, I need you and Tali, with her lovely little drone, to hold the tram station secure, and make sure the Matriarch doesn't slip out past us. If you see anyone or have any problems, call us and we'll come running. Liara and I will check out the med facilities, see what we can find out from the Volus, and meet you at the Hot Lab elevator. Good?"

Ash tossed out a quick, "Aye aye, ma'am," and they were on the elevator and gone in a flash. Shepard and Liara had just turned toward the main facility when they started hearing now familiar screeching and the captain shouted out, "Hell! Man the perimeter!" A grate near the elevator exploded upward and two of the large creatures erupted from the vents. Liara tossed a singularity over the vent and the security team quickly dispatched the bugs as they floated helplessly. After the captain thanked Shepard and Liara again for their help, the duo proceeded into the main room of Rift Station.

There was a strange combination of staff present in the room; humans, a Salarian, an Asari, and an Elcor. The Elcor actually turned out to be a merchant, and after a bit of bartering, Shepard happily unloaded a lot of the extra gear they had picked up along the way for some pretty decent credits; with the lockdown, prices were high, especially for weapons and armor mods. Shepard did not find the rest of the personnel so open to exchange. The Asari was very rude and uncooperative, claiming Shepard interrupted her meditations. She grudgingly answered a few questions, stating she was a molecular geneticist, Dr Alestia Iallis, but when Shepard asked if she knew anything about the Matriarch, she dodged the question by simply inquiring why the commander would ask her and not Liara. Liara eyed Alestia critically, and questioned why an Asari on a Spectre team should know the Matriarch better than a geneticist directly in her employ. Alestia's voice dripped in sarcasm when she replied, "Please. I work for Binary Helix, not the Matriarch. Yesterday's brief encounter was the first time I've ever seen her."

Shepard, unhappy with the evasiveness and condescending attitude of the scientist, was about to press the issue when she felt the soft touch of Liara at her back. The Spectre narrowed her eyes at Alestia and spoke with no emotion in her voice. "Fine. I'll let you get back to your meditations, but I may have some more questions for you later."

The Salarian, Dr Palon, was a little bit more forthcoming; he was also unwilling to discuss details of his job, but gave Shepard a bit of information on the labs and pointed them in the direction of Han Olar. After a very brief discussion, Shepard and Liara headed to the med bay to see what info the local doctor could provide. As soon as they left the main room, Liara grabbed Shepard's arm and spoke quietly in her ear. "That Asari is no geneticist, Shepard. She said nothing about the nondisclosure agreement, and spoke in vague generalities about her position. I have no evidence, but I believe she is lying. To what end, I do not know."   As they continued to the med bay, Shepard agreed that something wasn't right, her sixth sense was hammering at the back of her head, but they had no course of action at the moment, so would just watch her as best they could.

The doctor in the Medical Lab was a human, who seemed rather on edge. After a brief discussion, they found out his name was Dr Zev Cohen, and he was a microbiologist, not a medical doctor. He told them the automatics, run by Mira, could handle basic treatments, and unfortunately that was all that was available. Shepard glanced at Liara, "Help me out of my armor and I'll hit up Mira to do what she can for me. You know what we need. See what you can find out." After pulling Samantha's upper armor off yet again, Liara turned to Doc Cohen, and introduced herself simply as Dr T'Soni, leaving out the minor detail that she was actually a Doctor of Archeology... She eventually discovered the injured men in the med lab were suffering from some type of toxic poisoning, and the cure was almost complete when the quarantine was activated. It would be a simple procedure to follow the notes and create some of the antitoxin, if they could just get back into the lab to do so, but Ventralis denied them access. The toxin breaks down after a very brief period of time, so the threat no longer existed; there was absolutely no reason other than unsubstantiated fear for them to not access the lab.

Liara filled Shepard in on the information she had gleaned from Cohen, and Shepard instructed Mira to terminate the current procedure. She had managed to complete all of the bone and major tissue work before Liara walked over, so only the bruising was left untreated.   The commander would be sore, but fully functional. Liara helped her get all her gear on again and they headed out to go talk to the Captain. He wasn't very hard to convince, and soon Shepard and Liara were on their way to the Quarantine Lab. The route there took them through the barracks area, and they ran into the sole survivor of the accident, the Volus, Han Olar. As they walked up, Olar started talking. "You came to find out about them, didn't you?"

Shepard was surprised, as no one else had been willing to say anything to them; Olar spoke without even being prompted. He was very informative, telling them the creatures were called Rachni; that an egg had been found in an old derelict ship and brought to Peak 15 to be hatched. Other scientists in the room were adamant about Olar keeping quiet, saying he was going to get them all killed. When Shepard pressed him for more information, Olar answered, "I've told you all I can. We brought the Rachni back from the dead. In retrospect, a bad decision." Shepard asked Olar how he managed to survive when no one else did. His response indicated pure luck. He and a colleague had just decided to go to lunch and were preparing to board the tram when the alarms sounded. Olar ran onto the tram and closed the door, leaving his colleague behind. He talked with no emotion in his voice, "She banged on the window, once, and they sliced her to pieces. Her head came apart like a melon. I closed the door. I killed her."

After a brief moment, Shepard shook her head and continued, having no idea what she could possibly say to comfort the Volus, not even sure he was worth comforting. Instead, she asked about Benezia, and the odds of her surviving in the Hot Labs. Olar thought it was possible, "The specimens were sensitive to biotics." Shepard thanked Olar for the info, and they pressed on to complete the cure. When they got to the door of the Quarantine Lab, the Turian guard gave them a hard time about going into the lab, but finally acquiesced. Once in, Shepard checked all the lockers and storage containers for anything worthwhile, and Liara quickly found the notes and started working on the cure.

Shepard was not surprised when the evasive Dr Iallis suddenly showed up, saying, "Your mission ends here, Shepard." Shepard and Liara immediately noted the two Geth Troopers and additional Asari commando that rolled into the room behind her.

Liara commented, "I thought she seemed rather calm under the circumstances." Shepard was confrontational, asking what happened to the door guard. Continuing to be evasive, Iallis merely stated that the guard got in her way, leaving Shepard to interpret her response.

A dead calm then washed over the Asari, and she made a most unexpected direct statement. "I was ordered to eliminate you, should the opportunity arise, and here you are, trapped in this lab." She then shouted to her comrades, "Weapons free!"

Liara immediately launched a singularity, trapping both Iallis and the Trooper standing directly behind her. Sheppard rolled behind some crates and pulled her assault rifle all in one smooth motion, but before firing, she warped Liara's singularity. The resultant explosion, threw Iallis and the Trooper across the room, killing them both and evening the odds. The second commando warped the crates Shepard was hiding behind, causing them to smash into her and throw her off her feet, reducing but not dropping her shields. In the mean time, the commando left herself open to attack by Liara, who quickly blasted her with her Shuriken. Shepard didn't even bother getting up. She quickly rolled to her stomach and took aim on the remaining Geth, blasting it from the prone position with her assault rifle until Liara finished it with a warp. After a quick glance to confirm all targets were down, Liara called out, "Clear!"

Shepard stood up, laughing, and locked her assault rifle onto its storage clips. Adrenaline still rushing from the fight, Liara watched Samantha quizzically, wondering why she was laughing. Walking over, Shepard reached out one hand and pushed the barrel of Liara's SMG down, so it pointed away and toward the floor. Shepard's other hand gripped Liara around the neck and pulled her in for a deep kiss. After a very brief moment of shocked resistance, Liara figured it out and partook fully in the offered affection. Finally breaking in order to take a breath, Shepard whispered quietly in Liara's ear, "God, you're sexy when you take charge." Liara suddenly jerked back, eyes wide, shaking her head in denial, "What?.... uhhh... No!.. In charge?.. That is not.." Sam dipped in again and silenced the stammering Asari with a second, much more brief kiss, then a finger resting over Liara's lips to keep her from starting to talk again.

"Relax, Blue. You did exactly what you should have done! I'll trust you to have my back any day of the week." Shepard then winked at her, and followed up with a grin. "Just don't expect that kind of reward after every firefight!" The shy Liara returned, and she blushed and stared at the floor. Shepard reached over and gently punched Liara on her upper arm. "Come on, holster that weapon and let's get this cure back to the Doc."

As they walked out of the Quarantine Lab, Han Olar approached them again, informing them that the Geth had initially arrived with Benezia, and then he pointed at the door they came through just five minutes prior. Shepard asked how to get into that area, and Olar told her it was a maintenance area, and any team lead would have access... like the med team lead, Dr Cohen. Shepard raised her eyebrows and once again thanked Olar for the information, before heading toward the med lab. On the way, Shepard contacted Ashley and filled her in on what had happened, and told her to meet them back in the main room, expecting to need their help in the maintenance area. They delivered the cure to the grateful Doctor, and he was more than happy to provide them his maintenance pass, swearing he had no knowledge of the attack by Alestia. He thanked them by providing them extra packs of medigel; it was all he could spare, and let them know there would be more labs in the back, once they passed through the tunnels. Shepard and Liara then returned to the barracks area and the entrance to maintenance, picking up Ash and Tali along the way.

As soon as they entered the maintenance tunnels, they realized it was literally a tunnel carved through ice and snow. Sensors indicated only one hostile ahead of them. They approached cautiously, Liara had a singularity and Shepard had a warp hovering in the power in their hands. It turned out to be a single Rachni soldier, easily dispatched. They passed through another doorway, and reentered the facility proper. Since they no longer had the tramway secured, Shepard pushed the pace, trying to minimize the window for anyone to slip out behind them. What Shepard hadn't realized was the additional labs behind the maintenance area included the Hot Lab, and before they realized where they were, they came face to face with Matriarch Benezia.

The Hot Lab was basically rectangular in shape, with raised catwalks all the way around the outside edge. From where they entered the room, the catwalk directly in front of them and the one to the right also accessed raised platforms. The Matriarch stood near the entrance to the platform directly in front of them. She was dressed all in black, looking very foreboding, and started speaking as soon as they entered the room. "You do not know the privilege of being a mother. There is power in creation. To shape a life. Turn it toward happiness or despair. Her children were to be ours, raised to hunt and slay Saren's enemies. I won't be moved by sympathy, no matter who you bring into this confrontation."

The commander responded, "Liara's here because she wants to be, not because I asked her to." While they spoke, Ashley and Tali moved out along the right-hand catwalk to a flanking position

Benezia's voice was cold. "Indeed. What have you told her about me, Liara?"

Liara was taken aback by the Matriarch's lack of emotion, questioning, "What could I say, Mother? That you're insane? Evil? Should I explain how to kill you? What could I say?" The pitch of Liara's voice climbed the more she spoke, making it blatantly obvious the situation was very difficult for her.

Liara's pleas did nothing. The Matriarch faced the group and delivered a not so veiled threat. "Have you faced an Asari commando unit before? Few humans have." Shepard glanced over, focusing on Liara's overwrought expression.

Looking back at the Matriarch, Shepard challenged. "I can't believe you'd kill your own daughter." The Matriarch's only response was that perhaps she should have been more strict with Liara while she grew up. Without warning, she launched a stasis field, trapping Shepard, while the first pair of commandos ran into the room. Tali quickly fired up an overload on her omnitool and Liara launched a warp, while Ashley drew a bead with her assault rifle and started firing away while moving toward cover. The stasis field wore off and Shepard charged toward the second commando, assault rifle at the ready. As she approached the commando, Shepard tossed out a lift, floating the commando helplessly in the air. Unfortunately, the commander also crossed through an open space, allowing the Matriarch a clear shot, launching a powerful warp, completely dropping the commander's shields and throwing her off her feet. With a grunt, Shepard rolled clear so Benezia couldn't get in a kill shot. Shepard boosted her shields, jumped up, and finished off the floating commando.

Benezia motioned again, and Shepard picked up that a commando and at least two Geth Troopers had rolled in, before jamming blocked her scanner data. Ashley and Tali had completed their loop and were now flanking the enemy, and Ashley put her first target in the crosshairs of her sniper, a Geth sniper that was part of the group. Tali had launched an attack drone that was certainly providing great distraction, shocking the commando at every opportunity. Benezia realized they were making fairly quick work of her forces, so she made yet one more gesture, releasing two more Geth into the mix. Liara launched a singularity, floating a Sniper, who Ash was more than happy to remove from existence. The action left Liara exposed, and just as with Shepard earlier, the Matriarch launched yet another powerful warp, catching Liara and throwing her against the wall behind a pile of crates. She laid there a moment, aching and dazed, a terrible realization suddenly dawning. _My Mother just tried to kill me!_

Shepard was furious. While Ash and Tali finished off the last commando and the final Geth Trooper, Shepard turned her assault toward Benezia, to find the Matriarch kneeling on the rear of the platform. She spoke once again, "This is not over. Saren is unstoppable. My mind is filled with his light. Everything is clear."

Shepard scoffed, keeping her assault rifle trained on the Matriarch. "The Rachni didn't cooperate with you, why should I?"

The Matriarch seemed to waiver, standing, unsteady on her feet, looking weak. "I shall not betray him! You will....you... ach..." She suddenly turned to Shepard and spoke clearly. "You must listen! Saren still whispers in my mind, I can fight his compulsions, briefly, but the indoctrination is strong."

Shepard did not trust what she saw. "Why are you able to break free of his control, now?"

Benezia answered quickly, "I sealed a part of my mind away from the indoctrination. Saving it for a moment when I could help destroy him! It will not last long."

Shepard continued, "So you could turn on us again?"

Benezia looked shamed as she responded, "Yes, but it would not be my will, Shepard. People are not themselves around Saren. We come to idolize him, worship him. We would do anything for him. The key is Sovereign, his flagship. It is a dreadnaught of incredible size, and its power is extraordinary."

Shepard interdicted, "Sovereign's not like other ships. Where did it come from?"

The Matriarch did not know, but she did recognize that the technology was beyond any of the known species within the galaxy. She admitted that she was arrogant in her strength, but in the end she proved no match, ending up doing his bidding, searching for the coordinates to the Mu Relay. She revealed the Rachni had lived in that area of space, and it was the Rachni that found the relay, The Rachni are able to share knowledge across generations, with queens inheriting the knowledge of their mother. When they discovered the Rachni egg and it hatched a queen, Saren sent the Matriarch to extract the information. She hung her head in shame when she stated, "I took the location of the relay from the queen's mind. I was not gentle. I was not myself, but... I should have been stronger. I transcribed the data to an OSD. Take it. Please! Saren wouldn't tell me his destination, but you must find out quickly. I transmitted the coordinates to him before you arrived." Benezia then started getting frantic, feeling her control breaking. Liara stepped forward, reaching toward her mother, and begged her to fight the compulsion, to stay with them. With her ebbing strength, Benezia turned to Liara one last time, "You've always made me proud, Liara!" Then, she was gone. As Liara hung her head in distress, her heart breaking, Saren's tool spun to face them once again, glowing with power and shouting, "Die!"

All hell broke loose, everyone surging into motion at the same time. Liara and Shepard threw simultaneous warps, and Tali launched a useless overload. Ash had kept a bead on the Matriarch the entire time from afar, so all she had to do was squeeze the trigger on her sniper. The Matriarch's initial assault put Liara in stasis, while Tali conducted a fighting retreat off the platform to find cover. Shepard charged the Matriarch, fired the final shot that put the Matriarch out of commission, and watched her sag back against the wall. The battle was not over, as more commandos entered the lab. Liara had broken stasis and launched a singularity, while Shepard continued to pepper the commandos with her assault rifle and Tali launched a drone. Ash stayed tight on the Matriarch, and made sure she stayed down. Over the next few minutes, the last four commandos fell and the group returned to the Matriarch.

As they approached, Benezia spoke, "I cannot go on, you will have to stop him, Shepard." The Matriarch explained she was still under the influence of the indoctrination, that she could not keep it at bay forever and there was no known cure. As her head bobbed and her eyes started to close, Liara rushed forward, calling to her mother. Benezia completely collapsed against the wall, and spoke her last words "Good night, Little Wing. I will see you again with the dawn." Liara cried, holding her mother one last time, as Benezia died in her arms.

Shepard looked on for a moment, her throat tight, then walked away to give Liara some privacy in her grief. She observed the Rachni queen and approached it warily. As she did so, one of the dying Asari commandos, rose and started staggering toward the Rachni. It was surreal. Shepard was intrigued and horrified at the same time. Somehow, the queen was controlling the commando's body, and once the commando leaned against the glass wall of the enclosure, she started to speak. "This one serves as our voice. We cannot sing, not in these low spaces. Your musics are colorless. Your way of communicating is strange. Flat. It does not color the air. When we speak, one moves all. We are the mother. We sing for those left behind, the children you thought silenced. We are Rachni. The children we berthed were stolen from us before they could learn to sing. They are lost to silence. End their suffering. They cannot be saved. They will only cause harm as they are. These needle men, they stole our eggs from us. They sought to change our children into beasts of war, claws with no songs of their own. Our elders are comfortable with silence. Children know only fear if no one sings to them. Fear has shattered their minds."

Ashley shook her head. "I get it. Lock a kid in a room, alone, for a long period of time, they'll go crazy. They can't cope."

The commander realized what the queen was asking. "You want us to kill your children? Are you sure they can't be saved?"

The queen answered simply. "It is necessary. Do what you must." She then placed herself at Shepard's mercy to make the choice between letting her go, or destroying her as well and consigning the Rachni to silence once again. After the queen promised to disappear, to go to some hidden place, Shepard agreed to release her, refusing to be responsible for committing genocide and eliminated an entire species from the galaxy. Shepard raised the pod and opened the release hatch. Before she fled, the queen promised to remember, to sing to her children of Shepard's forgiveness; then she was gone.

The commander turned to Ash and Tali. "Can you handle opening the acid tanks on the other enclosures? If not, I'll do it..."

Ash shook her head, and looked at Liara, still on the floor with her mother's body. "You've got other things to do, Skipper. I'll take care of this."

Shepard reached out and gripped Ashley's shoulder. With a silent nod of thanks, the commander called the Normandy, reported the death of the Matriarch and asked them to contact Parasini to arrange for the pickup and delivery of the body to the ship. She then moved to Liara and crouched at her side, gently laying a hand on her back. "Liara. We've got to go." A tear streaked face looked up at Shepard, breaking Sam's heart, but Liara made no effort to move; it was like she heard the voice, but the words didn't register. Shepard shifted her hand to under Liara's arm, and stood up, giving Liara a little lift. This time Liara responded, and finally stood up. Shepard ducked her head and cupped Liara's cheek, turning her head until their eyes met. Shepard sucked in a shaky breath and closed her eyes, pulling Liara close. As the Asari clung to her, weeping steadily into her shoulder, Shepard hugged her tight, saying, "I'm sorry, Blue. I'm so sorry..."

\-------------------------------

The crew of the Normandy stood at attention on the loading ramp as the ERCS squad delivered the stasis pod containing the body of Matriarch Benezia T'Soni. As soon as the pod was secured, Lt Pressley dismissed the troops. Soon the only two still on deck were Shepard and Liara. The commander had made time to get cleaned up, and had presented herself in her dress blues to escort Liara. She now stood ramrod straight, with her right hand behind her back, and left arm bent, Liara clasping it tightly through the crook of her elbow. Liara had also cleaned up, and was silently stoic, her face devoid of expression, other than a deep ache reflected in her eyes. Shepard made no demands, and was prepared to stand there all night if Liara required. Shepard had already passed the OSD to Tali, telling her to get together with the crew and come up with a game plan. Garrus was to handle it; it would be a couple of days' transit wherever they ended up heading. So, Shepard simply stood, a pillar of unwavering support as the rest of the world shifted rapidly under Liara's feet.

It was Dr Chakwas who finally broke the deadlock. Ashley had filed the medical status report in the commander's stead, so Karin knew the extent of Samantha's injuries, unaware she had gotten interim treatment at the med bay at Rift Station. The commander saw her approach out of the corner of her eye, and held a hand up, halting the doctor momentarily. Shepard looked over at Liara and shifted her grip to pull the Asari into a hug before speaking softly into her ear. "I love you, Liara. What can I do?" She got no response other than a head shake, and increased force as the Asari seemingly tried to bury herself deep into Samantha's supporting arms. The commander mouthed silently over Liara's shoulder to the Doc, "Meet you in med bay, soon." Karin acknowledged and headed off, her heart breaking for her young Asari friend.

Samantha gently guided Liara over to the stasis pod, and a single quiet sob escaped Liara's lips before she was able to stop it. Liara spoke so softly that if Shepard hadn't been holding her so close, she never would have heard it. "Goddess, Shepard. I can't believe she's actually gone." Liara's trembling hand caressed the lid of the pod.

After a few brief moments, Shepard was able to encourage Liara to head toward the med bay, eventually getting her settled into her room. Even though she convinced Liara to lie down, and got her tucked under the blankets on her bed, Samantha feared sleep would be a long time coming. She gently caressed Liara's exposed cheek, and whispered, "I've got to see the Doc, Blue. You rest, and I'll be back as soon as I can. I promise." Shepard gently ran a thumb across Liara's forehead and flowed her hand softly across her crest before she kissed Liara on the temple, stood and walked out to speak with Karin.

Karin gave her the standard once-over, and had Shepard stretch out on one of the tables to complete the soft tissue repair. Based on the medical status report from Ashley, she was surprised at the commander's condition, until Shepard explained about the Rift Station med bay. Shepard wasn't in a very talkative mood, and laid on the table in silence, eyes closed, her thoughts swirling. She thought about the names in the back of her journal. She thought about adding Matriarch Benezia T'Soni, but the matriarch was not a member of the crew, not the commander's responsibility. Technically, she was the enemy, but who she was, combined with her ability to briefly break the indoctrination to help them, put Benezia in a unique category that Shepard was unable to reconcile at the moment. She had killed the woman right in front of Liara. She wondered if Blue would ever be able to forgive her. If not, Samantha would no longer be able to wash off the blood. _This time it has to be different._

\-------------------------------

It was a somber group that sat around the conference room. It just felt wrong to be doing this without Shepard, though everyone understood the reason. Garrus stood up to get started. "Alright everyone, let's get this done so we can get to the loading dock for Liara. Tali, what'd you get from that OSD?"

Tali sounded disgusted. "Forget it. According to the coordinates we got, the Mu Relay's inside the Terminus Systems. Alliance ships are not welcome there. Neither are Spectres. It's going to take a fleet, not a single ship, even if that ship is the Normandy."

Ashley pitched in, "Screw the Terminus! Our stealth system can get us in, but Saren will have his entire fleet orbiting Ilos. We'll never make it down to the surface in a shuttle without reinforcements. I can't believe I'm saying this, but we need to alert either the Alliance or the Council...We need a fleet to take him on at Ilos..."

Garrus looked around the room, and everyone just sat there, silent. "Well, I guess that's in then, if nobody has any more to add?" He looked around one last time and no one said a word. "Ok, the Conduit's on Ilos. That's where Saren's heading. Just wish we knew exactly what the hell the Conduit is. Guess we go to the Citadel. Everyone dismissed."

The group stood up sullenly, knowing the commander was going to hate their plan, but no one had a better idea, so the Citadel Council was the best option open to them at the moment. Garrus opened a comm line. "Joker. Lay in a course to the Citadel. As soon as that loading ramp door is closed, I want us out of here and in full burn to the relay." Upon receiving confirmation, Garrus headed down to the shuttle bay. Somehow, it just all felt wrong.


	20. Life Changing Events

Shepard had a lot to get done. Garrus had briefed her on their recommended course of action, and she had reluctantly agreed. It just burned her to have to ask the Council for help; especially when she didn't honestly believe they'd get it. She told Garrus to come up with a tactical plan on how to get onto the surface without any additional support...just in case. _Yeah, right..._ He must have been of the same opinion, because he didn't even blink at her request.

When she had finished at the med bay, she'd stuck her head in the door of Liara's room and been somewhat surprised that the Asari was actually sleeping, so left her undisturbed. She did leave a note, telling Liara to call her when she woke. In the mean time, she had cleaned her armor and weapons, and had drafted a message to Councilor Tevos to inform her of the circumstances surrounding the death of the Matriarch and to request guidance. For Liara's sake, Shepard hoped to have Benezia's name cleared, as a victim to Saren and Sovereign, not an accomplice. She also had a huge announcement for Ashley, so headed down to the armory, hoping the news was welcome. She also poked her head into engineering to round up Adams and Tali; didn't want them to miss it. Ash was in her accustomed spot at the weapons bench when the commander and Lt Pressley walked up. She eyed them nervously. "What's up, ma'am? You, I get... Lt Pressley doesn't normally come down here, so what gives?"

Shepard laughed. "Just confirms my opinion of you, Ash. You're not just a jarhead Marine; you're a thinker, too." Shepard had been working with Admiral Hackett on something very special for Marine Gunnery Sergeant Williams, and the approval had come through. Now it was up to Ash whether she wanted to accept it or not.

The commander stood up tall, and received a folder from the Lieutenant. She glanced at the contents one more time before speaking, even though she had already reread it multiple times and practically had it memorized. "Ash, I know you love being a Marine, but I've got an offer for you, one I hope you don't refuse."

As soon as she got to the 'but' in that sentence, Ashley was already shaking her head no. "No way, Skipper. Whatever it is, I don't want it. I'll never give up being a Marine!"

Shepard smiled, "Not even if it's to accept a commission as a Lieutenant in the Alliance Navy?" At the shocked look on Ashley's face, Shepard continued. "I need a Navy second to be the Squad 2 Commander, and I'd rather have you at my back, than pick up somebody new at this point. What do ya say?" The unusual presence of Pressley had attracted additional attention, so everyone in the armory ended up watching, including the supply sergeant, Wrex, and Garrus; and every one of them heard the question.

A very surprised Ashley stared at the commander for a long moment before responding. "Jeez. I thought for sure I'd top out at Gunnery Chief...I never dreamed...Holy Shit! Yes!" The entire group erupted in cheers. _About damn time we got some good news for a change!_ Shepard grinned and clapped Ashley on the shoulder, offering congratulations. She pointed at Pressley, and he and Ashley got together to sign the paperwork and submit the requisitions for uniforms, rank insignia, and the other bureaucratic drivel that accompanied promotions, as well as a change of service.

Feeling a little bit lighter of heart, the commander announced, "Drinks tonight in the Mess!" and returned to the main deck of the Normandy.

Shepard returned to the med bay and looked at Karin, motioning with her head toward Liara's door. Karin sadly shook her head no. Shepard walked in and took a seat near Karin as the door closed behind her. Karin calmly looked at the commander, waiting for her to speak. After a moment, Shepard sighed and started speaking. "I don't know what to do for her, Karin. I mean, I killed her mother right in front of her...How can I help her without being a constant reminder of what's probably the worst day in her life? How can she ever forgive me?"

Karin shook her head, responding not as a doctor, but as the old family friend, "I don't know, dear. How you help is something you'll have to work out together, but I know she can't possibly blame you, so there is nothing to forgive. She knew the reality of what could happen, going in. You all were placed in an impossible situation and now you have to see your way clear to make the best of it you can. Talk to her. It's all you can do." Shepard stood up and stretched, letting out a big sigh as she relaxed. Thanking Karin, She closed her eyes briefly to center herself, then opened them again and stepped quietly into the back room.

Liara was still snuggled under the covers, but opened her eyes and sat up when Samantha entered. Shepard stopped just inside the doorway and pointed at the desk chair. "May I?" Liara actually shook her head no, and patted the bed next to her, making it obvious without words that she wanted Shepard close. As soon as she sat down, Liara leaned against her shoulder and reached for Sam's hand, intertwining their fingers. Shepard swapped hands, wrapped her near arm around Liara, and kissed her on the temple, leaving her lips in place after the kiss. Liara dropped her hand and sighed, wrapping her arms around Shepard's waist, looking for solace. Shepard took her now empty hand and gently rubbed Liara's arm as she started speaking.

"Blue, I don't know what to say. I don't know how to make this better. I love you, but I can't even begin to understand how you can even look at me. I mean, I... I can't even say what I've done to you, to your family." Shepard felt the gasp and the breath hitch, even though no sound escaped the Asari.

Liara finally spoke, quiet, but steady. "Samantha, you did nothing to my family; Saren and Sovereign did. I do not blame you. I am actually glad you did it, and that I was not forced to do it myself. Even though, at one point, my mother actually tried to kill me, I am not convinced I could have...finished it. I fear I would have hesitated and gotten someone on our team killed."

Shepard disagreed, "I don't believe that for a minute, Dr T'Soni. I watched you very closely today, given the circumstances. Not once did I see you hesitate in doing what needed to be done. I believe you would have done whatever was necessary. I'm just sorry it came to it at all. I was really hoping I could have found another solution." Shepard sighed, "Forgive me? For failing you?"

Liara pulled away abruptly, making direct eye contact for the first time since the commander entered the room. Her blue eyes piercing, there was almost anger in her voice when she spoke. "Samantha Shepard! Absolutely not! I will not offer forgiveness where none is required! You will not take blame for something over which you had no control!" Her irritation spent, her eyes softened as she looked down and she continued, "Benezia brought this upon herself. She was my mother, but she was not. I prefer to remember Benezia as she used to be, before she was corrupted by Sovereign's power."

Shepard closed her eyes for a moment, then leaned forward and kissed Liara's forehead. "You know, the best of your mother lives on in you; her determination... her intelligence... her strength. She was an amazing woman, as are you, Liara. What did I ever do to deserve you?"

Liara's answer was amazingly simple. "You love me. It is all I will ever need."

Shepard shook her head. "I wish it was all as simple as that. I have to tell you... After today, I so wanted to call my mom... just because. I couldn't let myself do it, because I feel so damn responsible for taking yours away. Knowing you don't blame me doesn't let me feel any less guilty."

Liara looked reflective, then returned to her snuggle spot against Shepard's shoulder and closed her eyes. "You've never spoken of your Mother. Tell me about her."

Shepard hesitated. The request was the last thing in the world she'd expected. "Wow. Ok. I don't know where to start, so I guess I'll start with the basics. She looks a lot like me...or maybe I should say I look a lot like her, but I'm taller by a few inches...I guess I get that from my Dad. She's Alliance through and through. Been serving since before I was born. I guess that's why I joined up; it's in my blood. Didn't really see her a lot growing up. We were on the same ship, but she was always on weird shifts, because she was a junior officer then, so I'd only see her if she had time to break for a meal, if she got home before I went to bed, or if one of her down days actually fell on a weekend. She's still serving, been on just about every type of ship in the Alliance. Right now she's the XO on a dreadnought, the SSV Kilimanjaro. She was exposed to an eezo core leak just before I was born. We were the lucky ones. I guess we've got good genes, neither one of us ended up with cancer, and look at me..." Sam put a silly grin on her face and pulled her biotics to a blue glow in her finger tips for effect, "...I got biotics outta the deal!" She paused, not knowing what else to say.

Shepard suddenly had a thought. "Hey, we burned a lot of biotics today. You haven't eaten anything, have you?"

Liara shook her head, answering, "No, and I'm not hungry either."

Shepard didn't take no for an answer. "Too bad. We gotta eat. Besides, a promotion for Ash came through today, and I told everyone we'd do drinks in the Mess, so we've got to show for at least a little while, and that includes you." Much to Liara's dismay, Shepard really wouldn't let her skip dinner, and within fifteen minutes they were in the Mess with the rest of the crew. After watching Liara push her food around for a while, Shepard grabbed a glass of Thessia Red and sat next to her, handing her the glass of wine. "Here, Blue. Take this. It might take some of the edge off and help you actually get some of that in your mouth, instead of just making it do laps on your plate." The comment actually got a brief smile, and Liara focused on actually eating something. Once she got started, she realized how hungry she was, and finished off a good portion of what was on her plate.

Liara wasn't terribly surprised when Wrex plopped himself down next to her; having a similar long life span, he was a kindred soul and ever since he originally carried her to the med bay when they fetched her off Therum, he had taken it upon himself to watch out for her. He was like an ugly older brother, but Liara found him sweet and endearing, though she'd never say such a thing to his face. She was sure the reason her early days on the Normandy had been as non-confrontational as they were was because Wrex had made it known that he liked her and it wouldn't be wise for anyone to hurt one of his friends. They sat in amicable silence for bit, just having the big Krogan near providing its own sort of comfort, before Wrex gave her a sidelong glance and started speaking. "One of the reasons I left Tuchanka...main reason, really. My father was clan leader and we had a disagreement on how things should be run. He felt I was going to challenge him for leadership someday. He decided to eliminate the competition and tried to kill me, so I killed him instead, then I left Tuchanka to become a mercenary. Never wanted to be clan leader to begin with, stupid old Krogan." Wrex reached a huge hand over and patted Liara 'gently' on the back, almost knocking her over with its unexpectedness. "Hell of a thing to have to kill your own parent. Sorry, kid. I know it's tough, but if you wanna, you know...talk...you can talk to me anytime. I'll understand."

Liara was actually glad that Wrex had practically knocked her out of her chair; the surprise of it had kept her from breaking down and crying on the spot from what Wrex said to her. And his offer to talk, under other circumstances, would have been funny. Liara was sure it meant her talking and him grunting in response, merely providing her an avenue through which to vent, but his heart was in the right place and she appreciated the effort. She was pretty sure he had never made that sort of offer to anyone else on the crew. She looked at the big Krogan and laid her hand atop the huge hand that had returned to the table. She swallowed down the big lump that had formed in her throat and whispered, "Thank you, Wrex. I really do appreciate it, but I'm afraid I...I don't really know yet what I could even possibly say. I...I am sorry to hear about your father." She fell into an awkward silence and stared at their hands, her little blue hand dwarfed by the Krogan's brown one, unable to say any more.

Wrex looked down at her, and as gentle as a Krogan could be, said, "Don't worry about it, kid. When you're ready, the words will come." Suddenly the big gruff scary Krogan again, he stood up and rumbled away from the table, "I'm gonna go clean my shotgun," and wandered to the weapons bench. Before long, Liara said her farewells, congratulated Ashley, and slipped away to her room; Shepard watched her retreat but Liara hadn't so much as glanced at her so she did not follow. Shorty after that, the commander also said her goodnights and retreated to her quarters, hoping maybe she had received a response from Councilor Tevos. She was disappointed. _Perhaps she's just waiting until we get there..._

Somewhere close to midnight, Shepard finally finished up her backlog of paperwork. She still wasn't sleepy, so walked out to the Mess to get some hot chocolate and found Liara getting herself some tea. "Can't sleep, huh?" "No... you either?" "No. My mind won't turn off..." Next thing Shepard knew, Liara had her crushed in a hug, new tears flowing unchecked down the Asari's face. Shepard held on tight, rocking slowly, soothing, and providing what comfort she could. Grabbing the drinks, Shepard led the way back to her quarters for some privacy. Once in and settled, a cup of hot tea in her hands, Liara started to speak. "I'm sorry... I... I just can't be in that room by myself tonight. I need company. It sounds so childish when I say it out loud. All those days at remote dig sites, and now I suddenly can't stand being alone."

Shepard moved her chair over next to Liara's and overlapped the Asari hands surrounding the mug of tea. "No worries, Blue. It's nothing to be ashamed of. We had a rough day. You know I'm here for you...whatever you need. I love you." Shepard reached up and caressed a blue cheek, her thumb gently brushing across Liara's lips.

Liara's whole body trembled, and she whispered back, "Show me." Shepard looked at her beautiful and vulnerable Asari, her blue eyes pools of despair and need, and reached around to caress the back of Liara's crest and gently kissed the tears off her cheeks. In response, Liara reached up and tangled her fingers in Sam's hair, and, closing her eyes, captured Sam's lips with her own and kissed her hard, seeking a stronger connection. When the kiss broke, Liara's eyes opened, imploring. "I said, show me." Shepard was uncertain, hesitant.

"Liara... you sure? It's been a very emotional day...and this is...unexpected. I...um...it's late, we're both tired, and we've both been through an emotional wringer today and God knows what's coming tomorrow. I... I just don't think it's a good idea. Not tonight." Shepard shook her head, and issued a self-deprecating laugh. "I can't believe I'm turning down the most beautiful woman in the galaxy. I'm either the most gallant person in the known universe or the biggest idiot."

Liara sighed heavily, her breath hitching "Well, you certainly aren't an idiot, so I guess that makes you gallant by exception."

Shepard felt horrible; she could hear the sadness in Liara's voice. "I'm sorry, Blue. Come here." Shepard reached out to pull Liara close. "No, I'm pretty much being an idiot. I'm scared, I'm not sure what I'm doing, and I don't want to hurt you."

Liara cut her off with a hand placed against her lips. "Do not worry, Samantha, I'm sure you will have no difficulties..." Liara tried to make light of Sam's apprehension. "You've already proven your natural talent at finding Asari erogenous zones."

It was Shepard's turn to blush. "Yeah, I do remember that. I've been careful to avoid them since..."

Liara was perfectly serious when she very bluntly stated, "I don't want you to avoid them tonight..."

Shepard pulled away and stood up, "Liara, believe me when I say I want to make love to you, but I also want your first time to be sweet and perfect. I want us to take our time, to explore and experiment, do it right. This...just doesn't seem right to me. I...I feel like I'm taking advantage of your confused emotional state. "

"Please, Samantha...I've never been more sure of anything in my life. We will take our time, and we'll just see where it takes us. No demands, no expectations. I... I just want... I need to be with you tonight."

Shepard was unsure how to proceed, so she held her hands out, palms up in supplication. "Just tell me what you want, Liara. I want to be here for you. And at any time you need or want to stop, just say so, and I will. I promise." With that, Liara stood up, cupped Sam's face and they kissed once again, long and deep. Shepard started to unbutton her shirt and Liara got a soft smile on her face as she started to help, remembering another night that now seemed long ago. As Shepard's shirt dropped to the floor, Liara's fingers feathered softly across her chest, her eyes alight with wonder, the shy archeologist nowhere in evidence. Shepard grasped the zipper on Liara's science suit, drawing it down slowly, watching the Asari's expression for any signs of reticence. Seeing none, she leaned in and started kissing the folds on the side of Liara's neck, getting a strong scent of eezo and Thessian rose. It caused Liara to hum with pleasure, the distraction being exactly what she needed. Shepard wrapped one hand around Liara's waist while the other pushed the zipper down to Liara's hip.

When Sam ran her tongue along Liara's crest folds, the Asari gasped and her whole body shuddered with anticipation. "Goddess, Shepard! How can you possibly be so good at that?" Liara paused and peeled back her suit, baring her shoulders and Shepard helped push it down past her hips. Liara placed her hands on Shepard's shoulders for balance, and stepped out of her suit, now completely naked before the commander.

Samantha stood slowly, completely entranced by the blue goddess that stood before her. She was encouraged by the similarities in features, Liara looking very similar to a human female. _Maybe this won't be so tough after all..._ Shepard's delay worried Liara, and a shadow crossed her face. Shepard saw it, and reached over, catching both of Liara's hands in her own, holding them out, putting Liara on display in all her nakedness. Complete adoration in her eyes, Shepard whispered, "My God, Liara... You're beautiful!" Shepard wanted to touch skin to skin, so she quickly released Liara's hands and in one smooth motion grabbed her own compression top and peeled it off over her head, tossing it to the side of the room. She stepped in, embracing Liara fully, chest to chest and kissed her way around Liara's neck, separating slowly and bending to kiss her breasts and taking a nipple gently in her mouth, suckling, and rolling the tip with her tongue. Liara gasped loudly, and she pulled herself in tight against her partner, eliciting a groan of pure desire from Samantha. Liara's hands fumbled with Samantha's waist on her pants, finally finding the clasp and getting them undone. She grabbed the waistline and pushed them all the way down to Shepard's ankles, suddenly remembering the incident in the closet after dinner. It seemed so long ago now, Liara felt like she'd known Shepard forever.

She stood, making eye contact with Samantha. Shepard's green eyes darkened with passion, and Liara wondered just how dark they could get... _certainly they don't go black with the meld? I've never heard of such a thing in any other species besides Asari..._ Shepard studied the blue eyes in front of her, seeing the darting curiosity accompanied by a bit of nervousness, still cloudy and stressed from the day gone by. Shepard stepped in and wrapped one arm around Liara, under her arms, and scooped her quickly off her feet, kissing her the whole time, and carried her across the room. Liara wrapped her arms around Sam's shoulders, eagerly returning the kisses and breathing deep of comforting leather and musk. Shepard released Liara's legs when they got near the bed and flipped the covers back with her now free hand. She rotated and put one knee on the bed, using the arm still wrapped around Liara's torso to guide her back to sit on the bed. When Shepard leaned in hard and pushed Liara back with pressure of a kiss, the Asari started to resist, but felt the supporting presence of Shepard's arm around her back and relaxed into it, allowing Shepard to lay her out on the bed, gently easing her own weight down on top. Shepard felt Liara's heart hammering in her chest, so she slid off to the side a bit, to not put so much pressure on the young Asari. The minor tension in the Asari's body was enough to reminded Shepard that Liara had never done this and slowed her approach to be even more tender.

Samantha propped herself up on one elbow and affectionately explored Liara's body, leaning in to occasionally kiss those crest folds and run her tongue along every channel, eliciting alternating gasps and hums from her partner. She explored Liara's breasts with her hands, cupping them softly, getting a feel for their sensitivity, and gently thumbed her nipples. It all seemed very familiar, and Liara was definitely enjoying it, moaning and occasionally gasping with pleasure, moving with Shepard's coaxing administrations. Shepard gradually got bolder, used her mouth to explore, suckling and teasing the Asari nipples until they were hard. Liara was so caught up in the sensations so new to her that she gave up any attempts to explore Shepard's body; she just held on and followed her partner's movements, and that was ok by Shepard. Sam's tongue started to roam. She left one hand kneading a breast she had teased to a point, while her tongue worked its way down Liara's torso. The other hand started stroking Liara's thigh, gradually working higher and more to the inner thigh than the top. The first stroke that ran across Liara's hot, dripping core sent a shockwave through the Asari that finally caused her whole body to shudder as she whispered, "Goddess!" Shepard continued to massage an eager little blue nub with her thumb, and ran gentle circles through her delicate folds below. Liara was twisting the bed sheets up in her hands when her hips bucked off the bed; no longer in control, Liara's hands suddenly came to life, seeking Samantha's face to pull her up, eye to eye. The Asari was panting, 'By the Goddess, Samantha! I need you to meld with me! Please!"

Samantha kissed her deeply, and spoke into her lips, "Yes."

Liara was barely able to restrain herself as her eyes flashed to black, and Samantha felt the meld roar in like a freight train. It was nothing like before. There was no logical thought, no control, no preamble discussion. The meld held uncontrolled passion, and all the sensations that Liara was feeling flooded into Shepard's mind and Sam found herself instantly aroused, on the brink of orgasm, even though Liara hadn't even touched her...She realized it was not her own feelings... _My God, this is what Liara is feeling!..._ but the overwhelming ardor quickly pushed her to an equal frenzy.

It was so far above just the physical passion... the pure intensity of the tidal wave of emotions rolling off of Liara was such that Samantha's heart exploded with love for the beautiful Asari under her touch _{My God, Liara, I love you more than I ever thought possible!}_

_{Touch me! Please! Goddess, Samantha, finish what you started! I never knew...this could feel...}_

Liara did not finish her sentence, as the direct connection via the meld made words completely insufficient to describe the true depth of the experience. Samantha's hand returned to her core and caressed the little hooded nub begging for attention. With the new addition of the meld, the Asari body was innately familiar, and Shepard had no trouble finding pleasure points. The experience was beyond anything Shepard had ever felt, and the clinical description Liara had shared so long ago didn't even come close to doing the actual union any type of justice. Shepard desperately sought out one of Liara's hands and guided it quickly down between her own thighs. As passions rose, their thoughts became entangled, _{Oh, yes, there} {harder, over!} {Yes!} {Please!} {I need...}_ and Shepard started to have trouble identifying where hers stopped and Liara's began. They became so blurred it ceased to matter.

When Sam's fingers slid up inside Liara it was finally too much, and Liara crashed over the precipice, calling out to her lover, their hearts hammering as one. Waves of ecstasy emanating off the Asari pulled Samantha right along with her, clenching tight, not wanting to let go, two orgasms crescendo together, shockwaves of pleasure rolled over the pair for what seemed an eternity. When the aftershocks finally tapered off, Liara managed enough breath to speak aloud, in wonderment, "By the Goddess! That was incredible, Shepard!"

 _{You were incredible, Liara...I... I have never felt anything like that in my entire life. It was... amazing!}_ Shepard speaking through the meld reminded the Asari they were still linked, and Liara gradually withdrew, leaving Shepard with an unexpected...emptiness, even though she still held the Asari close and was still caressing her back. Samantha had no idea how she could miss something so much, something that such a short time ago she didn't even know existed. She pulled the sheets up and covered the two lovers, hiding them from the air that felt chill against their sweat. Liara snuggled in close and laid her head on Samantha's chest, listening to a heart still hammering with exertion and passion. Her hand drew lazy circles on Shepard's abdomen and inadvertently teased new pangs of want from her partner on the low swing of every circle.

Shepard reached down and tipped Liara's chin up, so she could capture her lips, kissing the Asari as her unquenched fire flamed anew. The loving kiss caused uncontrolled desire to quickly surge forward, and Samantha rolled to her partner, entwining their legs once more, seeking pressure to satisfy the pangs between her thighs. Shepard wrapped her arm around the Asari and placed her fingers into the folds in the hollow of Liara's lower back as she pulled them tight together for a more intense level of pressure to satisfy her throbbing core.

Liara gasped at the intimacy of the gesture and felt her hips arc off the bed as if with a mind of their own, seeking their own satisfaction. She panted, "Shepard!...Oh...Goddess!" as her eyes again went black. Plunging back into the joining, they began again...

_Definitely a life-changing event..._

\-------------------------------

Shepard was awake, but definitely not ready to get up yet, happily lying in bed cuddled with Liara, who was still sleeping soundly against her side. She was content to just hold her lover a bit longer, relishing in the heavenly scents of eezo and Thessian rose that rode the air with every inhale across the back of Liara's neck. She still couldn't believe the shy Asari scientist had practically demanded she make love to her last night, and really hoped Liara didn't wake up this morning feeling guilt or remorse. Either reaction could lead to serious complications in their budding romance; nothing insurmountable, but Shepard really didn't want to have to climb that mountain. They still had a few hours before they reached Citadel space, plenty of time for a leisurely morning and breakfast. _Hmmmm. Breakfast_. Thoughts of breakfast actually made the commander decide maybe it was time to get up after all. With Wrex on board, if they waited too long there wouldn't be anything left to eat but cold cereal or oatmeal...all the bacon, eggs and potatoes would have long since disappeared into the Krogan's stomach. She gave Liara an affectionate squeeze and snuck her arm out from underneath in an attempt to not wake the Asari, all to no avail. As soon as Shepard started to pull away, Liara's sleepy blue eyes crawled open and her face lit with a small, welcoming smile, prompting Shepard to lean in and give her a kiss on the forehead. "Morning, Blue. I'm going to go grab us some breakfast before Wrex eats it all. I'll be right back."

Liara's eyes closed again, she grabbed Shepard's pillow and mumbled, "And I'll be right here..."

\-------------------------------

As Shepard stepped out her door onto the main crew deck, she realized quickly almost everyone was there. She hesitated only briefly before realizing she didn't really have a choice and walked over to the mess counter, grabbing a tray and a plate and starting to stack it with food... an inordinately large amount of food, plus coffee, plus juice. Her silent prayer that everyone was either too tired or too hung over to notice her went unanswered as Ashley, of course, chimed in, "A little hungry today, Skipper?"

Shepard could feel the heat crawling up her neck and hoped it wasn't visible above her N7 hoodie. "Yeah. Yesterday was a tough day, and I drank last night but didn't really put very much food in my stomach. Woke up starving." She hoped that was the end of it, but she wasn't getting off so easy.

Wrex, in his most nonchalant gruff voice, was just plain blunt. "How's Liara this morning?"

If Shepard had actually been eating any of the food piled on the plate, she would have choked on the spot. Instead, she felt her blush burn hot and realized there was no way it didn't cover her entire face now. Totally embarrassed at getting caught out, she still managed to stutter a dodging response, "I, uh, don't know. I ... haven't talked to her yet this morning."

Ashley, as much as she had encouraged the relationship, was still having a grand time with Shepard's discomfort and had started to giggle, but busted out laughing out loud when Joker sealed the deal with his comment. "So she's not awake yet? She's normally out here pretty early with me at breakfast... you must of worn her out last night."

Shepard slammed the tray down on the counter and spun on the pilot, literally growling through gritted teeth before speaking in a rather menacing tone. "JOKER! Have a little couth for Gods' sake! The girl lost her mother and was looking for company! She said she couldn't stand to be alone in her room last night!" Shepard's anger bled off into sadness. "She spent half the night crying..." Ashley's laughter immediately fell silent and everyone at the table suddenly sat up a little straighter in their chairs, even Wrex.

Shepard's personal embarrassment had instantly turned the corner to a defensive anger. It became quickly obvious to the whole lot that they could make fun of her, but T'Soni was clearly off limits. The commander had a protective streak a mile wide when it came to the young archeologist. Knowing Shepard as she did, Karin Chakwas stepped into the conversation and offered herself as the sacrificial lamb, knowing Samantha would never say or do anything to the woman who was practically an aunt. "I'm sorry, Commander. I think I'm probably to blame for this debacle. I looked in the back room this morning to check on Liara and was surprised by her absence. I didn't think when I came out here and asked if anyone had seen her. I should have realized my error then, by the number of raised eyebrows."

Shepard turned her glare to Karin and it lasted all of five seconds before she just shook her head and stared down at the floor. "Guys. I know you think it's all fun and games, but Liara really is hurting right now. She feels... lost. And she's not a soldier; she hasn't been fire-hardened, she doesn't understand our crass humor. Razz _me_ all you want, but be kind to _her_. Please?" Shepard looked back up at the now very solemn faces of her crew, realizing between her angry chastisement and Karin's confession calling it a debacle, the point had already been made. "Thanks guys."

Shepard turned back to the tray to find Food Specialist Tucks hard at work cleaning up the mess Shepard made when she slammed the tray down. He had swapped the tray out for a clean one with two plates, each was tailored to what they normally ate for breakfast, including Shepard's coffee and a pot of hot water and a couple of tea bags for Liara. "I know Dr T'Soni likes Earl Grey in the morning, Ma'am. She drinks juice the rest of the day, and then hot cocoa after dinner," he said with a bashful smile.

Shepard shook her head. "Thanks, Carlton. Appreciate it. Sorry about the mess." Shepard cracked a light smile. "She does like her hot chocolate at night, doesn't she?" Carlton nodded and waved her off without saying another word, getting back to work. Shepard almost laughed when she walked away and heard Tali, of all people, whispering in all earnestness at the table, "So, did they have comfort sex or not?"


	21. Risks and Rewards

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> One more shout out to my dedicated readers, thanking you for your time and interest... I appreciate that you've stayed with me this far! You're getting a notification of a 'new' chapter because I did some more edits, included material from my QuickShots to fill in some gaps, and reformatted the story. End result was an additional 4 chapters. I apologize for the multiple notifications you may be getting in your e-mail.

Shepard slipped back into the room and Liara was still stretched out in bed, an arm thrown over the now spare pillow, just as when Shepard left. She sat the tray down on the table and crawled up behind the dozing Asari, gently kissing and nuzzling into her neck.

"Hmmm." Liara's eyes cracked open. "Good morning, Samantha."

"Hey there, Blue. How are we this morning?" Shepard whispered into her ear and planted a firm but gentle kiss on the side of the Asari's neck, right under her jaw.

Liara rolled toward the commander until she was flat on her back, looking up into a pair of pale green, concerned eyes. A pained frown flashed across her face before she schooled her expression. "Better. Well. Better than last night at midnight, anyway. But not great by any stretch of the imagination." She let out a ragged sigh. "I'm not sure how..." She squeezed her eyes shut to stop the threatening tears. "I'm just going to stop talking now." The last couple of words came out as a forced squeak and she bit her bottom lip in an attempt to keep it from trembling.

Shepard's heart broke for her, and she wrapped Liara up in a strong embrace. "Oh, Li. Come 'ere! It's going to be alright. I'm here for you." Shepard planted a soft kiss on her forehead and tenderly stroked the side of her top crests as Liara buried her face in Shepard's shoulder. It was probably the worst thing she could have done, because the minute Liara felt sheltered and safe, she let her emotions loose and the tears started all over again. "Hey now. Didn't you run out of those last night? Huh?" Samantha pushed the Asari away, forcing her out of hiding and wiped the tears away before she kissed Liara quickly on the lips.

Liara certainly wasn't expecting that, and her eyes popped open and she drew a rapid inhale of breath, but her tears stopped. Samantha planted a smile on her face. "There! That's better." She let out a soft laugh. "Who knew? My mom always used to kiss things to make them better. Wasn't sure if it would work on Asari or not. I guess it does!"

Liara drew in a deep shuddering breath and steeled her resolve to not cry any more. She knew it wouldn't last, but also knew she had to start somewhere. She looked at Shepard's forced smile and a little bit of an echo twitched up the corners of her lips as well. "Thank you, Shepard. Did you happen to bring me back any tea?"

Shepard laughed, "I almost didn't, but Carlton knows your habits and put a pot of hot water and a couple of tea bags on the breakfast tray for you. I think I should be worried that he knows that and I don't." The commander suddenly frowned. "I think I need to pay more attention to those things." She glanced at Liara. "For you."

Liara's twitch turned into an honest soft smile and her hand stroked Samantha's cheek, "You do fine, my love. You are one of the most considerate people I know."

Shepard laughed. "Oh, I'm pretty sure I could give you a long list of people who would disagree with that statement." She stood up and offered her hand to Liara, encouraging her to finally climb out of bed. "Oh, here. Wait just a sec." Shepard jogged to her closet and pulled out a robe for Liara to slip into while she ate breakfast.

While Liara drank her tea and picked at her food, Shepard told her of her 'adventure' in the Mess while getting breakfast and Liara turned an amazingly deep shade of blue. "Goddess, Shepard! How am I supposed to go out there and face them now!"

Shepard looked at her slyly. "Why, Dr T'Soni. Are you ashamed to be seen in a relationship with a mere Lieutenant Commander in the Alliance Navy?"

"What? No. That's just silly! Why would I..." Liara stopped rambling and looked at Shepard, her eyes narrowed. "Oh, you! You get me every time! Of course I'm not ashamed... and you know it. I just thought you needed to keep this quiet?"

Shepard laughed. "They all know, Liara, and they're ok with it. There's no sense in hiding it from the crew anymore, and I'm pretty sure they'll lay off for awhile after this morning. At least where you're concerned. They might harass me in private, but that's ok. I'm used to it."

Liara was getting warmed up to the idea of not having to hide her affection. "So... You're saying it would be ok to kiss you in the CIC?"

A smirk crept across the commander's face at the whole idea of Liara doing just that. "If I was just visiting and not on duty? Maybe. If I'm working? Not so much. But even so, there's still a difference between 'not hiding' and 'flaunting,' T'Soni. And then there's that whole concept of professional conduct." Shepard leaned across and kissed the Asari for good measure. "But in private, none of that matters."

Liara stood up abruptly. "In that case, Commander, I'm going to shower, get dressed and prepare myself to face them. I would be honored if you'd wait for me and escort me out to the crew."

Shepard's brow wrinkled. "Escort you to the crew? What are you planning, T'Soni? Should I be worried? You're not going to warp Joker into next Tuesday or anything, or you?"

"Well, if we're going to be together, I want to make sure everyone knows you're off limits. You're mine now, Commander."

Shocked, Shepard stood before she replied, so she could look Liara directly in the face. "Whoa, now. Did you not hear what I just said about there being a difference between 'not hiding' and 'flaunting'?"

Liara's brow pinched in consternation. "Shepard. You just said they knew already, anyway. Are you too embarrassed by our relationship to be willing to make a formal announcement, even if just among the crew?"

Shepard backpedaled immediately. "What? Embarrassed? By you? Are you crazy? No way! I.... oh. Wait a minute. Oh, that's good." Shepard smiled, relieved, as a real grin spread across Liara's face. "You got me. You're learning, T'Soni. You're learning."

With a self-satisfied smirk on her face, Liara went to take a shower and get dressed. Shepard just walked to her computer shaking her head and talking to herself. "Heh. Yeah, T'Soni... you're gonna be just fine."

\-----------------------------

The Normandy docked at the Citadel right on schedule, and now, Shepard, Anderson and Udina stood together in the Citadel chambers, ready to address the Council. Shepard anticipated a quick turnaround, so before she left the ship, she had instructed Garrus to keep everyone on board and to have the ship ready to fly as soon as they got their orders. As the Council assembled, Ambassador Udina looked to the commander and spoke, "Good job, Shepard. Thanks to you, the Council's finally taking real action against Saren."

The Asari Councilor, Tevos responded, "The Ambassador is correct. If Saren is foolish enough to attack the Citadel...as you believe...we will be ready for him."

The Turian Councilor, Sparatus, continued the announcement, "Patrols are stationed at every mass relay linking Citadel space to the Terminus Systems."

Shepard was starting to feel uneasy, as no mention of the fleet to go to Ilos had yet been mentioned, and time was of the essence. "You think a blockade is going to stop him? He could be on Ilos looking for the Conduit right now. I am less concerned about the Citadel than I am about him unleashing the Reapers! What are we doing about that?"

The Salarian Councilor, Valern, confirmed the commander's worst fears when he stated, "Ilos is only accessible through the Mu Relay, deep inside the Terminus Systems, Commander. If we send a fleet in there, the only possible outcome is full-scale war."

Udina again faced the commander and condescendingly told her that Saren's greatest weapon was secrecy; now that he had been exposed he was no longer a threat. He intoned the commander had done her job, and it was time to let the Council do theirs. Shepard countered and said using the Normandy's stealth drive, they could get to Ilos without starting a war, and that someone had to stop Saren from accessing the Conduit. The continuing discussion proved to the commander that the Council still did not truly believe in the Conduit, nor the Reapers. They were convinced it was all a story made up by Saren to gather the Geth army to his cause, that it was merely a distraction from his real plan to attack the Citadel. Shepard couldn't believe they could be so dense, and pressed her case, asking about the Reapers and Sovereign, the incredibly advanced dreadnought they witnessed on Eden Prime, the hologram warning on Virmire, and finally, the warnings of Matriarch Benezia. None of it made any difference; the Council members were not to be swayed from their decision. Finally, Shepard got angry and practically shouted at the Council, "If Saren finds the Conduit, we're all screwed! We have to go to Ilos!"

At Shepard's outburst, the Turian councilor looked at Udina, stating that the commander clearly wasn't going to let the situation go, at which point Udina made an obviously preplanned announcement. He looked at Shepard and flatly stated, "It's just politics, Commander. You've done your job, now let me do mine. This no longer concerns you. I've locked down the docking clamps on the Normandy. Until further notice, you're grounded."

Shepard was dumbfounded, and stared at Udina and the councilors. "Are you insane? After everything I've done, you still don't believe me? You're going to get us all killed!" Her face a picture of caged fury, she spun on her heels and retreated from the Council Chambers, heading for the Asari councilor's office. When she arrived, the councilor's assistant informed the commander that Tevos was still in session. "No shit, Sherlock! I just came from there!" While not understanding the context of the statement, the assistant was still taken aback at the commander's tone, unsure why she was suddenly a target of Shepard's anger. Seeing the look on the assistant's face, Samantha took a deep, calming breath, ran her hands through her hair and apologized. "I'm sorry. It's been a frustrating day, you didn't deserve that. I know the councilor is still in session, but I have an important matter I must discuss with her, regarding Matriarch Benezia. I'll wait." After what seemed like hours of pacing the councilor's anteroom, Shepard was finally shown in to see Councilor Tevos.

As the commander walked in, she took in the well appointed office space. Immediately upon entering the door, it had a small sitting area off to the right, with a comfortable looking couch, a small table, and a couple of lounge chairs. Scattered around the room were various art pieces, obviously from the Thessian home world, all very tastefully done. Not that her opinion mattered, but Shepard approved. At the back of the room was a spacious desk with a couple of visitor chairs, set near a large window with an amazing view of the Presidium courtyards and a lake below. After the customary greetings, Tevos offered a chair and asked the commander if she would like anything to drink, which Shepard declined. Working hard to not let the idiocy surrounding the Saren issue taint her current business with the councilor, Shepard got straight to the point and asked Tevos what was going to happen with the Matriarch's corpse and the T'Soni family holdings. Tevos eyed her critically, then in a voice containing no malice, asked, "And what business is it of yours, Commander, that you would inquire on the internal dealings of the Thessian state?"

Surprisingly calm under the circumstances, Shepard replied, "Councilor, I am requesting on the behalf of my crew member, Dr Liara T'Soni, who is currently in mourning and unable to attend to these matters in person. Certainly you can understand."

"Oh, I understand your motivation, Commander, but you must realize that I cannot simply accept your word for it. Do you have any proof of your appointment as her intermediary?"

Deciding on a bold tactic, Shepard looked the councilor straight in the eyes, and questioned, "Councilor Tevos. Do you trust me?"

The councilor did not break eye contact, but started to respond, "Commander, it is not a matter of trust..."

Shepard's patience was starting to wear thin and she interrupted, "Councilor. I don't mean to be rude, but if you trust me, I am prepared to let you meld with me, and I will share with you both Liara's request that I act for her interests, and the entire events surrounding the death of the Matriarch. It will provide all the evidence necessary to support our requests, in regard to both the disposition of the T'Soni estate and the full reasoning behind our pressing need to get to Ilos."

Shepard saw the surprise in Tevos' eyes, but the councilor was disciplined enough that the emotion showed nowhere else on her face. If the commander had not been so focused, she would have missed it. After a few moments of contemplation, Tevos responded. "However unorthodox, that would be acceptable, Commander, provided you agree to some conditions. First, I must have at least one of my commandos meld with you, to verify you are not under any type of foreign influence to which you are arguing the Matriarch fell sway, and that you are not any threat to me. Second, said commando would then remain, to ensure the safety of both of our persons during the course of our meld and to take action should anything untoward occur."

Shepard shook her head yes, and then spoke. "Agreed, Councilor. However, you must realize I am not experienced at this and I want to ensure you understand I am not trying to hide anything from you. Because of that, you and your commando may see things that are very distressing and very personal to me..." Shepard started to blush as she continued, "...and to Dr. T'Soni. We are...uhhm... we have become very close, and I would not yet want this to become public knowledge."

Councilor Tevos was unable to hide her surprise at the commander's second statement, but recovered quickly. "Understood, Commander, and I swear to you any...extraneous...information revealed through our meld will remain private. I and my commandos have sufficient ability to ensure our barriers will not be breached, but you have to trust not only in our skill, but also in our discretion, that we would not divulge any such information to a third party willingly."

The commander agreed, and Tevos summoned one of her commandos. Huntress Tenir introduced herself and after a few moments of conversation, initiated the meld. Shepard felt the now recognizable feeling of a press on her consciousness, dropped her barriers, and let the huntress in. After a few familiarizing exchanges and a general survey of the commander's thoughts and intentions, the huntress found and pressed against a barrier Shepard was not overtly willing to drop. Shepard gave the huntress advance warning of the horror of the events she was about to witness, before she dropped the wall guarding her memories of Elysium. When she heard Tenir gasp during the meld, Tevos sat up straight, concern on her face, not knowing what the huntress was seeing, and remained on alert for the duration, diligently watching and waiting. After Tenir witnessed the events of that forsaken day, she withdrew, a shade more pale than when she entered the meld. Tevos did not relax until after she watched in amazement as the huntress bowed her head in respect and spoke to Shepard. "By the Goddess, Commander. If ever the opportunity presents itself, I would be honored to fight by your side, and I give you my solemn vow, I will never speak of what I just witnessed. I...apologize if this offends, but I envy the Lady T'Soni her choice of mate." She then turned to Tevos and pronounced, "Councilor, this human bears you no ill will, and is under no external influence within my ability to detect."

Tevos floated her hand over Tenir's, "Thank you, my friend. If you could now please monitor my meld with the commander, as I monitored yours?"

\-----------------------------

For the second time in the hour, Shepard found herself under scrutiny, but Tevos' mental touch was deft and gentle. Calming. Eventually the same barrier arose, and was again dropped, and she was once again a Lieutenant on shore leave on Elysium. She and three of her squad mates had just emerged from some cheap burger joint, of which there were dozens close to the space port; the kind of place where what exactly the 'burger' was made of was always questionable, but the food was tasty and the beer was cheap, perfect for a Lieutenant's salary. The four of them looked up in unison when they heard the roar of multiple craft entering atmosphere at the same time. The port wasn't large enough to handle more than five large transports as a time, so Shepard immediately felt a knot forming in her gut and barked an order to her squad to double-time back to the port. As they ran, it soon became very evident who was landing, and they weren't friendly.

Military presence on Elysium was very small, restricted mostly to customs inspectors, and was augmented by local civil defense forces for actual port security. The foursome ran to the port, and soon caught up to the civilian force captain in charge of defense. Surprised that he had actual military available, he sent them quickly to the front line and put Lieutenant Shepard in charge. As they charged to the front, Shepard quickly took stock of available forces and tried to organize a defensive line. The troops consisted of civilian policemen and military customs agents, few of which had any front line battle experience. Fortunately, the attacking pirates didn't have any hard core experience either, so the skill levels were fairly even. Unfortunately, the pirates outnumbered them three to one, and some of them carried heavy weapons, where the civil defense had some stun grenades in addition to standard arms, but that was it. Shepard quickly realized their only hope was to merely hold a defensive perimeter until reinforcements could arrive. That hope was based on their ship in orbit, the SSV Agincourt, and that it had survived the initial assault and sent a distress call.

What followed was a massacre. The pirates were at Elysium to pillage, not take slaves, so it was quickly evident loss of life did not concern them; more dead meant more people to pick clean of their possessions. As time dragged by, Shepard watched the defenses get slowly dismantled, wave after wave of pirates hitting the line, the sheer numbers working against them. Shepard was the epitome of a hardened leader. As a vanguard, she pulled on her biotics to charge up and down the line, giving constant encouragement to the troops, and personally reinforcing the line wherever it broke until someone could shift to fill the gap. Since she was on shore leave, the only weapons she had were her omnitool, a borrowed riot control shotgun and her standard issue service pistol. She was forced to watch the line slowly crumble as defender after defender went down to enemy fire. At some point in the fight a group of medics showed up from the local hospital. As far as Shepard was concerned, they were the true heroes. No military training at all, yet there they were on the front lines trying to provide aid and keep the defenders standing. One of them pulled Shepard down amidst her protests, telling her if she didn't let them help her she was going to bleed to death. Her adrenalin and biotics were screaming so loud in the fight, she didn't even realize she had sustained multiple gunshot wounds. The only thing that kept her on her feet was absolute force of will.

Rushing the medics along, her hasty return to the battle was in time to see a major breach of the defensive line, and she charged back into the fray, biotics blazing and shotgun roaring, ending in frantic hand-to-hand combat because of multiple pirates now inside the wall. The number of dead and dying was appalling, the smell of blood and death so thick in the air she could taste it. The odds grew worse by the minute, yet Shepard fought on, refusing to give in. Just as survival of the colony looked impossible, the first military reinforcements showed on the horizon, and the pirates outside the wall began their retreat, realizing the cause was lost. Those inside were in a fight for their lives and any attempt at retreat would just get them killed, so the close-in battle raged on until the last pirate fell. As Shepard collapsed to her knees in fatigue, she surveyed the scene; all the military customs agents and her other three squad members lie dead and the entire Elysium police force was reduced to under twenty members, but the civilians of Elysium were saved.

As she sat there waiting on the reinforcements to breach the wall and come to their aid, her biotics dropped, the last vestiges of blue power faded, and she started to shake from exhaustion. Her last conscious vision was of an Alliance Navy commander, leading the reinforcements, approaching her. As she struggled to stand to greet him, her world spun and she collapsed into darkness. She awoke much later, back on board the ship, and felt she simply had done her job, humbled by the actions of the brave medics who came to their aid. Everyone else called her a hero of humanity, hailed her as the Hero of Elysium. She was awarded the Star of Terra for service above and beyond the call of duty, but she just felt lucky to have survived.

\-----------------------------

Tevos almost withdrew from the meld at that point, but Shepard called her back. She still had to show Tevos the primary purpose of her visit. She showed Tevos everything she had tried to explain to the council, everything from the beacon message to the final words of the Matriarch. She then showed Tevos a brief glimpse into her relationship with Liara, and the conversation that she and Liara had that led the commander to request this audience. With that final vision, Tevos withdrew from the meld. The councilor sat in silence, fighting to get her emotions in check, her head hung in contemplation for a few moments while Shepard and Tenir waited patiently. When Tevos' head came up, her cheeks were wet with tears. She made no attempt to wipe them away, and spoke quietly. "Commander. I owe you an apology. Your character and courage are unquestionable, and I agree with Huntress Tenir's appraisal of you. We have Asari colonists on Elysium, and I now understand just how much we owe you for all their lives. You are not a typical human...at least compared to any that I have had the opportunity to interact with. As much as the state of affairs basically forced our hands to accept you into the Spectres, I now feel we could not have possibly made a better selection, no matter what the circumstances. Know that I am now your steadfast ally on the council, and will provide you whatever support I can to aid you. As for your quest for Saren, I have no power to release the Normandy, but when you come up with a plan, just let me know how I can assist. In regards to the security of the T'Soni holdings, I will handle the issue personally. Rest assured. I will ensure an appropriate executor is appointed to the estate until Liara is ready and able to assume the mantle as head of the T'Soni house. Thank you, Commander, and may the Goddess be with you."

Shepard rose, and held her hand out, not for a handshake, but open palm up, in the traditional Asari greeting as a show of respect. "Thank you, Councilor, for your time and your support." As Tevos smiled at the gesture and placed her hand on top of the commander's, Shepard finished, returning the blessing. "Goddess be with you, Councilor." With a nod, the commander turned and left the room.

Tevos looked at Tenir, slowly shaking her head. "We must watch that one, and make sure no harm befalls her, best we are able. She may very well be the key to all of our futures." The huntress looked questioningly, waiting for an actual task. Tevos continued, "Contact Matriarch Aethyta and make sure she is aware and understands the situation. Be... gentle. Matriarch Benezia's death is likely to hit her hard. If she has questions, tell her to contact me directly on my private channel."

\-----------------------------

Shepard returned to the Normandy and sought out Liara in her space behind the med bay, relaying all the information from her meeting with the Councilor, much to Liara's relief. While still grieving for her mother, at least her mother's reputation and Liara's future were now secured. They sat, leaning together, foreheads touching, and Samantha sighed. "Now if I could just come up with a plan to get the Normandy off the Citadel, things would look a lot more promising."

Liara spoke quietly, "I cannot believe they did this to you. I am so sorry. You did everything they asked, and more! The council owes you everything, and they repay you by stripping you of command and grounding the Normandy."

Shepard sighed, "I don't care about me, but if they refuse to go after Saren, if they don't stop him from finding the Conduit, we're all dead. At least we now have Tevos' support, if we can just figure out how to take advantage of it."

Liara sat back and shook her head. "I believe in you, Shepard. I am with you every step of the way. There must be some way to keep those idiots from dooming the entire galaxy to extinction. Perhaps Tali can hack the docking clamps?"

Shepard considered that option for a minute, then leaned in and gave Liara a quick kiss. "It's worth asking. Let's go talk to Tali."

As they stood up and walked out of the med bay, Joker piped on the comm, "Commander, I have a message for you from Captain Anderson. He asked you to meet him at a club in the Wards. It's called Flux."

Shepard replied, "I'm on my way," then looked to Liara. "Let's ask Tali to see what she can do, and then grab Garrus to go with us."

\-----------------------------

Shepard had never been to Flux before, and it seemed to be a pretty typical club. Liara scrunched her face in distaste, and then asked, "Why is the music so loud? It almost seems as if people are looking for an excuse not to talk to each other."

Shepard laughed and winked at Liara as she responded. "No, they just want to be able to talk and not have everyone else overhear them. It affords a kind of privacy."

After a quick look around the club, they found Anderson sitting at a table by himself, so they sat down and joined him. He started speaking as soon as they arrived. "I'm glad you came, Shepard. I heard what happened. I wanted to warn you, but there was no way to get a message to you before you docked. I'm sorry."

Shepard shook her head in disgust. "Now I know how you felt. They pulled me off the mission, just like when they forced you to give up the Normandy."

Anderson leaned forward and spoke forcefully, "I know you're pissed off right now, but you can't give up. They all think this is over, but we both know it's not. You have to get to Ilos and stop Saren from using the Conduit!"

Shepard narrowed her eyes as she responded, "No way I'm giving up, Sir, but we both know there's only one ship that can get us into the Terminus Systems undetected, and she's grounded. Any suggestions?"

Anderson's eyes lit with mischief, "Citadel control's locked you out, but if we override the ambassador's orders, we can release the docking clamps. You can be in the Terminus Systems practically before anyone even knows you're gone!"

Shepard sat back and though about the consequences. "If we steal the Normandy, the inside man gets caught holding the bag, and could get convicted of treason. That's a hell of a gamble."

Anderson just shook his head. "That will be me. But if Saren finds the Conduit, life as we know it is over. The Reapers will destroy us. Humans, Asari, everybody! It's worth it, whatever the cost. You're the only one who can stop him, Shepard. So I'll do whatever it takes to get you on the Normandy and off this station!"

Shepard hung her head in resignation. "Alright, Anderson. Do you have a plan?"

Anderson responded, "Ambassador Udina issued the lockdown order. If I can hack into the computer in his office, I can override it."

Garrus grumped, "He's not gonna let you just waltz into his office and use his computer."

Anderson had a glint in his eyes when he stated, "Hopefully he won't be there, but if he is, I'll just have to take care of it. The Ambassador has made this personal, I'll think of something."

Shepard actually laughed. "I can take care of that for you. After the Council session, Tevos personally promised me support...and I trust her. I'll have her call Udina to her office for a meeting thirty minutes from now, and have her keep him there for at least fifteen minutes after that. She's a politician. I'm sure she can dissemble for at least that long. Should be enough time for everyone to get into place, and for you to hack in and override the lockdown, yes?"

Anderson stood up and shook Shepard's hand. "Sounds like a plan, Commander. You ready to get the hell off this station?"

Shepard grinned. "Absolutely, Sir. I almost envy you, Anderson. I'd love to see Udina's face when he realizes he's been outmaneuvered at his own damn game." Shepard quickly sent the request off to Tevos, and waited for a positive reply. When the confirmation arrived, she looked to Anderson. "Let's do it!"

Anderson confirmed, "I'll take care of the lockdown. You get to the Normandy and tell Joker to stand by. I'm not sure how long it will stay open before someone catches it and locks you down again."

Shepard responded. "No worries, Sir. That light goes green, we're long gone! Don't have to tell me twice."

\-----------------------------

Thirty minutes later, Shepard stood on the bridge of the Normandy with Joker, staring at the red docking control. When the light went green, Shepard gripped Joker's shoulder and said, "Let's go. Get us outta here, Joker. Now!" Joker smiled as he backed out of the docking space, and the self-proclaimed 'best damn pilot in the Alliance' soon had the Normandy spun around and bee lining for the mass relay. Shepard watched the Citadel fade in the distance with a grim look on her face.

Joker chuckled, "Aw, damn it. No sign of pursuit? I was hoping the Council would send some ships after us. I was looking forward to putting the Normandy through her paces. Figured I'd get to see what this ship can really do."

Shepard gave the pilot a somber look. "Saren's still out there. Maybe we'll get a chance to play hide-and-seek with Sovereign."

Joker looked at her, suddenly much more serious. "You know, it doesn't seem like much fun when you say it, Commander."

Shepard had a smile on her lips that did not reach her eyes. "Sorry for spoiling your fun, Joker. I'm going to walk around a bit, then grab some down time. Just give me a shout before we get there. I want to be on the bridge when we jump the Mu Relay."

All business, Joker responded with a sharp, "Aye aye, Ma'am!"

As Shepard turned to leave the bridge, Joker heard her say under her breath, "I hope you didn't get caught sir, but if you did, we'll make it damn well worth your sacrifice, Anderson. I promise you that."

Even more so than before routine missions, Shepard felt the need to check on the mood of the crew. She had asked them for a lot, this go; she asked them to trust her, to commit treason in the hope of staving off disaster. If her gamble with the Normandy did not pay off, they would all pay a high price, certainly with their careers, possibly with their lives. As she passed the Navigator's station, Lt Pressley looked at her with an expression on his face she couldn't read. Her doubts started to fade as he spoke, "I can't believe we stole the Normandy! I know we'll all be court-martialed if this doesn't work out, but part of me loves this!"

After walking amongst the crew, she discovered Pressley's attitude was typical for most everyone on board. Not a one doubted the commander or the need to take the action they had taken. Ash said everyone on the deck felt the same way. "We're all in for the duration, Commander. You can count on everyone to do their duty."

Shepard walked over to Wrex, who started talking before they even made eye contact. "Stealing an Alliance ship. Risky stuff. But Saren's rotten to the core. It's time to make him pay for what he's done. I still owe him for Virmire, Shepard. Hope you haven't forgotten that."

The commander shook her head. "No, I haven't forgotten, Wrex. He owes us both, and that's why you're coming with me on Ilos. You, Tali and Liara."

Wrex punched a fist into his other palm and gave a quick nod of his head. "Good. I'll be ready. And Shepard? Thanks. For remembering."

The commander looked at him and said, "No worries, Wrex," before she turned and headed to the med bay.

Shepard stopped to speak to Karin. The doctor was a bit more reflective, having served in the Alliance longer than almost any other crew member on board. "It's strange, being a fugitive from the Alliance. For you and I both, the Alliance has been our life. This crew has sacrificed everything for you, Shepard. We must be sure to not waste it."

Shepard was fully aware of everyone's level of sacrifice for this mission, and she did not carry that responsibility lightly. "I know, Karin, and I wouldn't have asked it of them if I didn't think it necessary, nor if I didn't believe we could do it. We'll beat Saren and Sovereign, and we'll keep the Reapers from returning. No one on this ship will have sacrificed in vain. Keep the faith, Doctor."

Shepard then walked through the med bay and entered Liara's room. The Asari stood as she entered, and was already speaking as she faced the commander. "This will all be over soon, Shepard. One way or another. The crew trusts you. Let us do what needs to be done."

Shepard stepped in and held Liara close, sharing with each other their strength of conviction. She whispered quietly in Liara's ear. "We're not going to fail. I promise. I have every intention of making it through this mission and then making a future with you... Assuming you'll have me?"

Liara leaned back and looked at Samantha, her eyes a blue ocean, deep with emotion. She spoke with confidence, "I already have you, Commander, and I plan on keeping it that way."

Samantha chuckled gently as she pulled away from what was left of their embrace, reaching out her right hand to cup Liara's face, softly caressing a blue cheek with her thumb. "What ever happened to my shy, young archeologist, Dr T'Soni?" Not really expecting an answer, she withdrew her hand and dropped an open invitation. "I have to finish my rounds, and then try to get some rest. Feel free to join me in my cabin, if you would like." A quick kiss, and the commander was out the door on her way to engineering.

It didn't matter how many times Shepard walked into Engineering; the site of the eezo core engine still awed her whenever she saw it. It reminded Shepard of a gyroscope, with its huge counter-rotating discs, totally encapsulated with the pulsing blue ball of energy; it was almost mesmerizing to watch it spin. It never failed to astound her that the same dark energy she could hold in her fingertips because of her exposure to element zero, enabled something as large as a frigate to travel through space at faster than the speed of light. It was also a tremendous feat of engineering that the huge Tantalus drive core even fit within the hull, being nearly twice the size of a standard frigate's core. However, it did fit, and it gave the prototype ship the speed and stealth capability that defined it. Their whole mission now depended on this new stealth technology performing to specs; if it failed, the Geth would certainly destroy them before they even reached planet side.

She walked into the room to address the crew. "Engineer Adams. We ready?"

Adams and Tali both turned to the commander, but it was Adams who spoke. "Yes, Ma'am. Ready and able. We've discharged all our extra heat, and I'm working with Flight Lieutenant Moreau to optimize our speed to prevent any build up during our trip to the relay. That will maximize our stealth run time once we hop through to Ilos. Don't worry about the Normandy, Commander. She's a hell of a ship...she'll get us through this."

With a nod of confirmation, Shepard turned to Tali, whom she almost considered a younger sister. "How 'bout you, Tali? You ready for this?"

Tali reached out and took the commander's hands. "Shepard, when I return to the fleet after my pilgrimage, I will be proud to say I was a part of this. You have been good to me. You've treated me just like everyone else on your crew, like an equal. That means a lot, and it says something about you. Whatever happens, I just want to say thank you for that."

With that, Tali crushed her in a hug, which Shepard affectionately returned. "Alright, I need you to get some rest. We'll be facing down Geth, so I'm taking you, Wrex and Liara with me. It will be a tight squeeze in the Mako, but I'm hoping we won't be in it all that long. Besides, comfort doesn't matter. I think we're gonna need all the firepower we can get."


	22. Into the Breach

Shepard walked a few paces into her cabin and stopped, looking around. The room was dark, so it was obvious Liara had not chosen to join her... _at least not yet_ , Shepard thought hopefully. The commander walked the rest of the way into the room and sat down at her desk. Flipping on the terminal, she started to compose a message to her mother, Captain Hanna Shepard, XO, SSV Kilimanjaro. Shepard wondered how in the world you explain to a career officer what would drive you to steal the Alliance's top frigate and go on the run for a mission that most people either don't know about or don't believe in. She decided it was impossible in the limited space of a short note, and settled for asking her mother to trust her honor, her devotion to duty, and her instincts; that should they be successful, the result would be self explanatory. If they did not succeed, Shepard would most likely be dead and not be the one to suffer the consequences, so she apologized for any discredit the powers-that-be may heap upon the Shepard name and any impact it may have on her mother's career. The most important thing Shepard regretted not being able to do in person was to let her mom know that she had found a semblance of peace. She had found someone to love, who loved her in return, who shared her burdens, and they had somehow found a bit of happiness even amidst the chaos.

Should the next mission go well, Shepard planned on taking leave and finding the Kilimanjaro. It had been too long since she had visited her mother, and she wanted to introduce her to Liara in the flesh, to give her mom the opportunity to meet the person who had come to mean so much to the young renegade Commander of the Normandy. She finished up with the standard love and miss you words, and finally closed out the note with her trademark 'Keeping the Faith' notation and hit the send key. She watched the system process it, and received a confirmation warning notice. _No communications buoy currently in range. Message is queued and will be transmitted at earliest availability._ Shepard sat back, staring at the warning on the screen, and wondered if they would survive long enough for the message to ever be sent. She reached up, turned the terminal off, and moved to lie on her bed. She stretched out on her back, fingers interlaced behind her head, and closed her eyes. Though there was no one to hear her, she spoke aloud anyway, "Well, shit. Wouldn't that just be the final kick in the pants."

Shepard was sleeping lightly when she awakened to the sound of her door opening. She glanced at her chrono and calculated they were still at least three hours out from the Mu Relay. She brought the room lights up on low, just enough to distinguish the shadowy figure framed against the lights in the hall. In a voice husky with sleep, she welcomed her visitor. "Blue. Come 'ere." Eyes adjusting to the low light, Liara sought out the source of the voice and found the commander, still in uniform and lying on top of her bed, and walked over. Though they had shopped on the Citadel and gotten her some new clothes, Liara was dressed in a t-shirt and sweatpants borrowed from Samantha. As the Asari stretched out next to her, Sam turned the lights back out, smiled and kissed Liara gently before asking, "Have you slept at all?" With Liara's negative reply, Sam invited her to snuggle into her arms and get some shut eye. "You're on the ground with me when we get there...I need you rested." Liara took a deep breath and released it slowly before speaking, "Shepard, whatever happens on Ilos, I just wanted to say thank you. For everything." Shepard's eyes were already closing again as she replied groggily, "ahhh, my good Doctor. The pleasure has been all mine. Thank you for being my anchor and my compass though all this. Now, get some sleep so we can kick Saren's ass tomorrow." Samantha felt a gentle kiss on her cheek as she drifted back to sleep, content with the press of her incredible Blue against her side and an arm draped possessively across her abdomen.

\-----------------------------

The Bridge was full; every ground team member wanted to be present for the relay jump and to see what awaited them on the other side. For all its import, the Mu Relay looked like all the others in the galaxy, and as the Normandy approached the relay, the blue energy reached out and encompassed the ship, accelerated it along the path of the arms and launched the Normandy across space. While the relay's appearance may have been typical, what awaited them on the distant end was anything but routine. As they emerged, Joker voiced what everyone else saw, "ah, Commander? We've got company." The view showed multiple Geth warships orbiting the planet, seemingly in an attempt to create a blockade. Liara chimed in, her voice pitched with concern, "Have their sensors picked us up yet?"

Joker replied with his best sarcastic tone, "Stealth systems ARE engaged...unless we get close enough for a visual, they won't have any idea we're here." XO Pressley announced strange readings from the planet surface, and Shepard told Joker to take the Normandy down to the source of the signal. XO Pressley spoke again, "Negative on that, Commander. The nearest landing zone's two klicks away." Lieutenant Ashley Williams was standing in the back of the Bridge, arms crossed, staring at the planet. "We'll never make it on time on foot, give us something closer!" Pressley was adamant that there was no alternative landing zone, so Shepard directed the ground team to drop in the Mako, much to Pressley's dismay. He countered the Mako needed at least 100 meters of open terrain to pull off a drop, and the most available in the vicinity of the coordinates was only twenty meters. The argument between the team members continued, gradually getting so loud that no one other than Shepard initially heard Joker when he stated, "I can do it." The commander looked at him and loudly called his name in query, stopping all other conversation, "Joker?"   Joker repeated himself, confident. Shepard paused only briefly before telling the ground team to gear up and head for the Mako, before instructing the pilot, "Joker! Drop us right on top of that bastard!"

True to his word, Joker delivered a precision drop with a perfectly timed stall to minimize all forward motion. The Mako dropped off the Normandy loading ramp and skidded to a halt at the opening to the underground facility, just as Saren slammed a huge stone entry door in their face. A quick check made it obvious they had to find a new way in, or at least find some way to power the door. Time was of the essence...they had to get in and catch up to Saren before he found the Conduit. Tali spoke up, "Saren found a way to open it. There must be some kind of security override somewhere in this complex." With no other option, the team turned and started working their way across the compound. With the door behind them, their twenty meter landing strip turned into a killing field, with Geth converging on their drop zone. Tali launched her attack drone and between Wrex and the commander leading the charge, the team quickly worked its way out into the main courtyard.   Once there, however, things turned a bit more difficult when they discovered two Geth Armatures waiting for them. Fortunately, they had faced them before at Therum and Noveria, so they knew how to defeat them; they proved a time consuming obstacle, but not deadly. The courtyard was full of debris, making line-of-sight navigation difficult, so Shepard had to refer to an aerial map Pressley had provided them. After a quick peek, they were off again, headed toward their new objective.

Shepard commented that the Geth were not massing their defensive forces, instead allowing the team to make slow but steady progress. Wrex rumbled in response, "Of course, Shepard. They just need to slow us down to give Saren time. They don't need to stop us." As the commander realized the complete truth in Wrex's assessment, the team picked up the pace, literally running and gunning through the maze of pathways, moving as fast as they possibly could. After the two Armatures in the courtyard, most of the platforms were regular Geth troopers and assault drones, making their elimination relatively easy, especially with three strong biotics on the team. They moved through a second courtyard and were confronted by a Geth Destroyer and several troopers. The Destroyer proved to be no challenge, with Liara catching it in a singularity, which Shepard was more than happy to detonate with a warp, taking out a few of the troopers along with it. After passing through the courtyard, they discovered an operational elevator and climbed aboard. As they reached the elevator's destination, their scanners were jammed, so they knew the competition had just stepped up it a notch, with at a minimum of Geth hopper things, if not a Prime. It turned out to just be hoppers, easily cleared utilizing the team's biotics. After working their way through the Geth, they arrived at yet another elevator taking them even deeper into the complex. This time, when the doors opened, they found themselves at the entry to the main command center.

\-----------------------------

Garrus, Ashley and Pressley stood in the Command Information Center aboard the Normandy, anxiously monitoring the team's vitals when they suddenly winked out. Ashley immediately shouted, "What the hell? What happened? Pressley, get 'em back!" Pressley admitted he had no idea; perhaps they had just gone out of range, or the Geth had gotten a jammer in place, but there was nothing he could do. Ashley was livid, but could do nothing to change the fact that the ground team had just literally vanished off the scope. Garrus looked somber and spoke loud enough for everyone to hear, "You know what Shepard told us to do if this happened." He glanced around and saw nothing but indignant, angry faces, but none of them disagreed. Garrus shook his head. "Damn. Joker, get us to the Citadel, fast as this bird will fly! As soon as we clear the relay, get a message off to Admiral Hackett, and tell him what's happening."

\-----------------------------

The ground team wasted no time clearing the hallway, and quickly entered the main facility. Immediately, they were besieged by multiple Geth, including standard Troopers, Shock Troopers, a couple of Destroyers, and at least one Prime. Shepard caught sight of an Armature control panel, and quickly co-opted an Armature to assist in their fight. The battle was fast and furious, Shepard calling frequently on her biotic charge to move quickly from target to target, and bounced her way through the standard and Shock Troopers, maximizing damage while not providing the Prime an opportunity to target her. With the help of the Armature, Wrex quickly took the Prime out of the picture, while Tali and Liara first focused on the Destroyers and then teamed to help Shepard with the multiple troopers. The pace of the battle was brisk, the entire team working together like a well-oiled machine; the combined experiences of all their previous firefights coming to the fore. In less than a minute, the entire room was clear and Shepard had access to the control panel. Compliments of the Prothean cipher, working the controls was relatively easy. After activating the panel, a recording played, mentioning the Citadel and the Conduit, but it was much too degraded to make any sense of it. However, the main objective had been fulfilled...the massive stone doorway was now open, so the team returned to the Mako and got back on Saren's trail.

The doorway opened to a huge interior hallway that plunged deep into the facility. The walls were largely intact, but the floor was very broken, with large roots pushing up the flooring in multiple locations, making driving difficult. Fortunately the Geth presence was minimal, so focusing purely on driving was not difficult. The walls were filled with containers, which Tali identified as stasis pods. Had the circumstances been different, Liara would have been in heaven. She was in awe, the enthused scholar surfacing in the midst of chaos, "I have spent my life studying the Protheans, but I never dreamed I would discover anything like this! This bunker might have been the last refuge of their entire species. Just imagine what mysteries it might hold. Imagine what secrets it might reveal!" Tali immediately brought her back to reality with a reminder of the mission; Saren, the Conduit, the fate of the entire galaxy resting in their hands. Liara apologized, and expressed a hope that after the war she may be able to return and study the ruins.

Their progress suddenly screeched to a halt when they discovered a barrier across the passage. The guns of the Mako were completely useless against it, so they team dismounted and had to go on foot. There was an elevator to the right, and the team climbed in, descending even farther down into the facility. It opened onto a short narrow pathway, ending at a console with a holo projection above it. As Shepard approached, it started speaking. It was a virtual intelligence that identified itself as Vigil. It spoke of hope once it realized the organics before it were not indoctrinated; at the same time confirming that Saren had fallen sway to the Reapers. _Just like Benezia_. Vigil told them that the Citadel, as the heart of civilization and the seat of government, was the key to success or failure. The Citadel was so much more than a space station; it was also an enormous mass relay that linked to dark space and a future gateway for the Reapers if they did not stop Saren. The strategic importance of the information was clear. If the Reapers entered the galaxy directly via the Citadel, they would immediately wipe out the galactic government, the Citadel fleet, and have control of the Mass Relay system, all with a single surprise attack. Their need to catch and stop Saren from getting to the Conduit instantaneously became much more dire.

Shepard queried Vigil if he knew of any way to stop the invasion. Vigil replied, "The Conduit is the key. Before the Reapers attacked, we Protheans were on the cusp of unlocking the mysteries behind mass relay technology. On Ilos, researchers created a small-scale version of a mass relay one that linked directly to the Citadel; the hub of the relay network." Liara immediately realized its importance; the Conduit was a back door onto the Citadel. The Citadel fleet was blockading the mass relay system, not realizing Saren didn't need to use it...if he got to the Conduit, he had his own private entrance. Vigil confirmed this fear. Once inside, Saren would transfer control of the Citadel to Sovereign, and Sovereign would then open the relay to dark space, allowing the Reapers to return. Again, Vigil reminded them of hope; he had a data file in his console. He told Shepard that she must take a copy and upload it to the master control unit on the Citadel, before Sovereign was able to open the relay. It would corrupt the Citadel security protocols and give them a chance against Sovereign. Tali quickly downloaded the data file and passed copies to all the team members. Vigil's parting words sent the team on their way. "Follow Saren through the Conduit. He will lead you to your destination."

The team returned to the Mako, and Shepard turned it into a bullet. Not caring about any of the Geth that were in their path, Shepard drove like a mad woman. Not wasting time trying to destroy the attackers, she drove the Mako as fast as possible, bobbing and weaving, merely to minimize any damage the Geth tried to inflict. Speed became her top priority. Wrex still manned the main gun and Tali was on the machine gun, taking any opportunity they could to return fire and prevent the Geth from getting off any decent shots. The strategy worked, and before they knew it they were sitting at the top of a long downward slope, and the Conduit stood before them. Pedal to the floor, the Mako lurched down the hill. As they approached the conduit, they suddenly felt the Mako leave the ground as the mass relay grabbed the vehicle up. Their world exploded in a rainbow of colors and then went black, as the Mako was suddenly hurled through space to the Citadel plaza.

\-----------------------------

The Citadel fleet was supposedly ready, but the strength of the Geth fleet when it rolled through the relay was initially overwhelming as the Geth came out of the relay firing. Even though they had seen video of Sovereign over Eden Prime, no one was prepared when it appeared in space before them. As soon as the large vessel was detected coming through the relay, Citadel Station attempted to activate their defensive systems, only to realize the station was not responding. No one knew Saren had already used the Conduit and was in control of the station's systems, killing any who got in his way. The Citadel itself was a marvel of engineering, with a central core and five individual wards that protruded like arms, making the structure look like a star when it was open. Part of the Citadel defenses consisted of the ability to close those arms and change the shape of the Citadel from a star to an elongated tear drop, the five arms closing to a point. Once closed, nothing could go in or out until the arms were opened again. When it was discovered they could not close the arms, the Council was immediately evacuated to the flagship of the fleet, the Destiny Ascension, as the Citadel fleet provided cover and moved to intercept the invaders.

After arrival via the Conduit, Saren advanced quickly to the control center, holding the defenses in stasis just long enough for Sovereign to enter the station and dock on the Citadel. Once Sovereign was inside, Saren allowed the station to close, effectively shielding the dreadnought from the Citadel fleet and giving Sovereign time to integrate into the Citadel systems.

\-----------------------------

The Mako's landing wasn't pretty, but they all survived and managed to crawl out of the wreckage of the vehicle once it came to a stop outside the Citadel tower. Somehow, Tali had managed to maintain her sense of humor, "Hey, at least we don't have to worry about Shepard driving that thing anymore!" The team could see the silhouette of Sovereign approaching and instantly knew where they had to be. They started toward the tower access elevator, immediately running into a small group of husks, easily dispatched. The elevator had climbed most of the way up the tower before Saren locked it out; the team was forced to exit and work the rest of the way up to the Council chambers on foot, hoping they could get there before Sovereign fully integrated and took control of the relays. Time was of the essence!

The team moved as fast as they could, covering ground quickly. Shepard and Wrex set the pace, moving as fast as their biotics and shotguns allowed. Tali's attack drone, which she had started calling Chatika, provided a great distraction, drawing early fire and giving Shepard and Wrex a multitude of attack openings. Lifts and throws were the biotics of choice, as they incapacitated the Geth and allowed the team to run right by them as they fired the killing volleys. Sovereign was not the only vessel to penetrate the Citadel's defenses, so as they passed turrets, Shepard and Tali worked to get them back online to take down the Geth dropships. Eventually those actions paid off, as the number of Geth they faced continued to decrease.

With the intense pace they were setting, fatigue started to become a factor and Shepard noticed Liara starting to fall behind. She slowed the pace and pulled up. "Liara, you ok?" The Asari was breathing heavily and Sam noticed some blood splatter. "Li! What the hell, you've been shot! Why didn't you call out?" Gasping for air, Liara answered, "No...time...need to get ...to Saren!" The commander grabbed her shoulders and twisted the Asari to the ground, using her own med kit to treat Liara's wounds. "You don't do us any good if you bleed to death. We need your biotics." Sam stopped and looked Liara in the face before she finished quietly, "And I need you, Blue. Goddess, don't get yourself killed out here. I couldn't live with myself!" Liara blinked slowly and swallowed hard before responding, realization setting in. "I'm sorry, love. I didn't think. I'll be more attentive, I promise." Shepard broke an energy bar in half and gave part to Liara, while eating the other half herself. She saw Wrex chow down a tube of nutrient paste, and Tali sucked in an energy drink. Shepard did a last check with the team, "Anyone else hiding injuries?" Wrex rumbled in return, "Times a wasting, Shepard. Let's move!" Shepard made a fist and pounded Liara lightly on her shoulder before giving her a hand up. "Head in the game, everybody! Let's rock!"

It ended up a well-timed break, because the next corner they rolled around had a long expanse, with multiple rocket turrets in place. Shepard traded the shotgun for her sniper and took the turrets out from a distance, while Chatika and Wrex moved around taking out the miscellaneous Geth troops supposedly defending them. Shepard kept Liara close, under the pretense that she was to watch the commander's back while she sniped. Once they got the last turret down, the way to the Council chambers was open. Entering the chambers was surreal; after the frantic pace and gunfights to get there, the chambers seemed eerily quiet. As they approached the upper level, however, the quiet was shattered by Geth troopers providing the last line of defense before reaching Saren. Shepard could see the ex-Spectre at a control panel, busy typing away, so the commander knew where they needed to be to drop that data file in to stop Sovereign. They just had to get through the last few Geth and Saren to do it.

Suddenly, Saren finished up whatever he was doing and, glancing over his shoulder, walked over to the edge of the platform and dropped out of sight. The team ran forward, with the intent of accessing the panel when Saren and his hovercraft rose into view, spitting out grenades as it climbed into the air. The team scattered, diving for cover. Saren started speaking, "I was afraid you wouldn't make it in time, Shepard. We both knew it was going to end like this. You, against me. Sovereign will have full control in a few minutes and the relay will open."

Shepard wasn't giving up so easily, "I've still got a few tricks up my sleeve...Spectre. And some part of you must still realize this is wrong, you can still fight Sovereign!"

Shepard's words struck a chord in Saren, reminding him of the Spectre he once was. "Sovereign is strong! There is no hope... He wants us to believe the only path to survival is to submit!"

Shepard sensed the crack in Saren's resolve and pressed the point. "There is always hope! Do you honestly think a lifetime of slavery is better than an honorable death? You're a Turian; death before dishonor, duty first! You're choosing slavery for the entire galaxy because you're afraid to risk death on a chance to actually win?"

The team watched Saren's internal battle as different emotions ran across his face. Shepard knew this tore Liara up, to see such a struggle a second time; it had to remind her of Benezia. Shepard had to make one last effort. "The only slaves the Reapers kept were a few hundred Protheans turned Collectors... Think, Saren! Do you really consider that survival?"

It finally ended, with Saren pulling his pistol and placing it under his own chin. "Thank you, Shepard! You have helped me find myself. Now, do what must be done!" Saren then pulled the trigger without hesitation and fell from the hovercraft to the courtyard below. Shepard ran to the control panel and started downloading the data file; she looked to the rest of her team and told them to make sure Saren was dead. While Wrex and Tali worked their way to the lower courtyard, Liara encouraged the commander to release the security hold to give the fleet access to Sovereign, and the arms started to open on the Citadel. Sam then opened the communications channels, and immediately heard a distress call from the Destiny Ascension. The ship was in dire straits and the council was on board. With the remaining Geth fleet that was still active, they wouldn't last long.

\-----------------------------

On the SSV Kilimanjaro, XO Shepard was monitoring comms when a flash message came across, putting the entire Alliance fleet on mobilization alert due to a Geth attack on the Citadel. Her years of military training kicked in and she instantly issued the readiness alert status warnings across the ship and started perusing the messages running across her terminal. Years of practice allowed her to process them quickly, easily eliminating the clutter and getting the queue down to a manageable size. As the initial surprise of the alert wore off, the pace of incoming notifications slowed considerably. Unknown to Hanna, the Normandy had reached Citadel space and transmitted all its queued messages. When she saw a message from her daughter flagged 'private,' she paused to read it. At first shocked, it slowly dawned on her that the Geth attack should have been anticipated; they should have been in readiness status hours ago. After all Samantha had accomplished, how dare they question her daughter's integrity or professionalism! The Captain turned the information over in her mind, and suddenly her biggest fear came from the realization that the attack had actually happened. Did that mean her only daughter had been unsuccessful in her mission, and was already dead in some far corner of the galaxy? Only her strict military discipline kept the older Shepard from falling to her knees. She gripped the console tightly and closed her eyes, praying she was wrong and desperately trying to keep the faith.

\-----------------------------

Back on the Citadel, Shepard heard Joker piping in, "Normandy to the Citadel. Please tell me that's you, Commander." Shepard confirmed that the team had made it. Joker continued, "We caught that distress call, Commander. I'm sitting here with the entire Arcturus fleet. We can save the Council if you unlock the relays around the Citadel." When Shepard paused for a length of time Liara felt was too long, she reached up and laid a hand on the commander's arm. "Shepard, it's more than just the Council. The Destiny Ascension is huge... there are ten thousand souls on that ship." The commander gave Liara a thankful glance and gave her answer. "Opening the relays now. Save the Ascension and get busy on Sovereign!"

As the first shots started to impact on Sovereign, the inside of the Council chambers started to shake like an earthquake. Shepard looked around quickly trying to figure out what was happening. Red bolts of lightning started traveling around the interior of the chambers, with the energy focusing on Saren's corpse. The platform that held the control panel collapsed and Shepard and Liara were thrown to the lower courtyard with Wrex and Tali. The team watched in horror as Saren's corpse was reanimated... and morphed into a creature none of them had ever seen before. It looked like a demon of old Earth lore, but had the capability to jump and stick to the walls, like the Geth hoppers. It spoke, "I am Sovereign! And this station is Mine!" The team bolted into action, Shepard throwing a lift, Liara a warp and Wrex blasting away with his shotgun and throwing warps at every opportunity. Tali launched Chatika, and joined in with Wrex on the shotgun action. Shepard and Liara took turns lifting and throwing the monster, keeping it completely off balance and unable to fight. It was not long before the creature was dead.

Outside, the war was not going well. The fleets were taking a beating, and requested to withdraw, but Admiral Hackett didn't allow it, saying they had to take Sovereign down, no matter the cost. When the ground team killed the creature in the chambers, Sovereign's ship lost its shields and it became vulnerable. At that point, the combined power of the remaining fleet was sufficient to destroy the immense dreadnought, and the ship finally exploded, throwing huge pieces of its superstructure to all parts of the Citadel.

Inside, the team caught their breath and stared in amazement as the creature that used to be Saren burst into red fire and literally turned into a pile of indistinguishable ash before their eyes. Shepard snapped her head up when she heard the massive explosion, and saw a huge chunk of the ship headed their way. She yelled urgently at her team to run, knowing there was no way they were going to make it. Sam threw up a barrier at the last minute as the chambers imploded into wanton destruction around them. Barrier or not, she felt as if something struck her helm, and then something powerfully slammed her to the side, casting her roughly against a stairwell towards the back of the chambers. As she fell, she hoped those in front of her had made it clear of the raining debris. It slowly dawned on her that she was actually alive, and wheezing behind what she was sure was a broken rib or two, she started to laugh, then put her mind to figuring a way out of her temporary prison, all the while selfishly praying that at least Liara was safe.

When the dust settled, the Council chambers were a disaster. Huge scrap pieces of Sovereign lay everywhere, numerous fires burned, glass and pieces of collapsed walls lay scattered across the floor. Wrex was the first up, shoving away a piece of concrete and freeing himself as the first rescuers entered the room. He assisted their efforts, and soon they found Tali and Liara, safely sheltered next to a large chunk of debris leaning against a wall. One of the searchers calling out, "Captain Anderson! We've found them! They're in here." Anderson hustled over and recognized the three crew members, then inquired as to the whereabouts of the commander. Liara had tears running down her face as she just shook her head, and looked toward a particularly large piece of Sovereign crushed into the floor. Her voice shook when she finally managed words. "She was right behind me... and then...that...hit. Goddess, how could anyone survive that?" She looked to the Captain, hoping for a miracle.

Captain Anderson looked directly at the Asari and answered the only way he could. "Shepard's done the impossible so many times, I'm not giving up on her until I find a body. Come on; let's get you out of here." Some of the rescue crew moved in and started helping navigate the rubble, headed toward the exit. Out of the blue, the whole group heard Wrex's deep laughter. "Shepard! I knew no hunk of metal was going to keep you down!"


	23. The Two Days

Liara heard Wrex call out to Shepard and she snapped her head up to scan the debris field. Motion in the far corner caught her eye and she focused on a flash of auburn. It didn't even register with the Asari that the commander had somehow lost her helmet; such a minor detail was overridden by the fact Samantha was alive... and walking toward Liara under her own power. The fear and adrenalin that was keeping her on her feet faded with the sight of her lover climbing through the remains of the Council Chambers and Liara sank to her knees, thanking the Goddess for her beneficence and the return of her newly discovered partner. As the commander cleared the last obstacle, Liara dug deep for the required energy to rise and meet her and hobbled slowly forward. She saw Samantha pause and close her eyes and panic threatened to engulf the Asari for just a brief instant... until the commander's eyes opened once more and she resumed her journey. Liara gasped out the breath she was holding and hurried as best she could to her love. They crashed together and Shepard grunted in pain. Liara let out a quick exclamation, "Oh, Goddess! I'm so sorry, Shepard!" before she showered Samantha's face with kisses. She touched her forehead to Samantha and her eyes were starting to go black when she heard Captain Anderson clear his throat and she forced back her desire for the light meld, her eyes returning to a crystal blue.

Shepard laughed with joy and looked around, finally realizing there were a lot more people in the room with them. When she noticed Anderson, she broke out into a huge grin. "God damned good to see you, Anderson!"

Captain Anderson just shook his head, a wide smile on his face, and said, "Likewise, Commander. Let's get you all out of here."

The rescue teams poured in and shifted everyone but Wrex onto a stretcher to haul them out and get them to the hospital. They all breathed a sigh of relief when Wrex declined a ride on a gurney; they had no idea how they were going to carry a ton of up-armored Krogan without an anti-gravity lift, and they didn't have one with them. Once loaded in the ambulance and enroute to Huerta Memorial, Shepard let herself relax and found herself unable to stay awake; she slipped rapidly into unconsciousness. As they burst into the hospital, the emergency response team shouted at one of the attending physicians, Dr Chloe Michel. "Doc, blood pressure's crashing! She's gotta have a bleeder, probably from the shrapnel puncture!"

Chloe grabbed Shepard's dog tags and then glanced over her shoulder at a med tech. "Push three units B-Neg synth. Now! Put her in O-R two!" While the crew moved Shepard to an operating table and Doctor Michel stepped into a sanitization unit, the lead field medic gave her the run down. "She took a hard hit to the left side. Two broken ribs, stabilized. Reset a left shoulder dislocation and the wrap on her head is holding a cold-pack... left side contusion and probable concussion. Gunshot wound was small caliber, pistol or machine-pistol, happened a while ago and was sealed with medigel, no exit wound so she has ammo still wandering around in there somewhere. Only other active injury is the hunk of shrapnel hanging out of her left thigh. I didn't want to pull it during transport. We just stabilized it best we could to prevent further damage." The sanitizer beeped, signaling the cycle was complete, and Doctor Michel nodded a quick thank you to the medic and dived into the operation. The savior of the Citadel was not dying on her table. Not today.

\-----------------------------

After Liara's gunshot wounds had been stitched and the skin regenerated, she had been released for light duty but she wasn't going anywhere. She hovered anxiously in the waiting room waiting for news on Shepard, along with Wrex, Captain Anderson and Dr Chakwas. When Dr Michel finally emerged, Karin immediately took the lead. "Chloe, thank God. I know Shepard was in good hands, but I'm sorry I couldn't get here fast enough to assist. How is she?"

Chloe smiled. "Karin! Good to see you! Your help would have been appreciated, but the commander's going to be fine. She gave us a scare, though. Too much movement before the medics got that piece of shrapnel stabilized, and it nicked the lower lateral femoral circumflex artery."

Karin's eyes got wide as she responded, "Thank God it happened in the ambulance on the way here! You say she's fine, so you obviously found it quickly and got her stabilized?"

"Yes. But between that and her other injuries, she still took seven units of synth by the time we were done. Once we located the penetration, the arterial repair was relatively easy and the tissue was in good condition, so I anticipate a full recovery with no complications, though she'll require a bit of physical therapy. The shrapnel ripped right through the center of the left quadriceps rectus femoris muscle. Her leg is going to be quite sore for a while." Chloe continued her rundown of the rest of Shepard's injuries, ending with the concussion. "Now, the only thing that concerns me is the concussion. She's still in and out from the anesthesia, so I haven't been able to evaluate the severity of the head injury yet. Scans show it to be only mild, but I'm withholding diagnosis until she's actually awake and responsive."

Karin nodded. "Thank you, Chloe. I know you're busy, so I'll let you get back to it. I'll stay with Shepard, so don't worry about her. Take care of the rest of these poor souls."

Dr Michel thanked her, gave them Shepard's room number, and headed back into the treatment area, vanishing behind the swinging doors. Karin turned to find two sets of expectant eyes. "I suppose you want all that translated into layman's terms, yes?"

Wrex didn't really care; he heard the doctor say Shepard was going to be fine. Since he didn't care about the details, he trundled off to go find the commander as soon as he heard the room number. "I'll see you all in a bit. The Doc said Shepard's going to be fine. I'm going to make sure she stays that way."

Wrex hung around in Shepard's room, to the great annoyance of the nurses trying to take care of the commander. Asking him to leave was completely pointless; the only response they got was a growl. If they wanted to touch Commander Shepard, they had to get past Wrex first, and he glowered at them the entire time they were in the room. He made it agonizingly obvious he didn't want anything bad to happen to the commander while under their care. It took Dr Chakwas personally vouching for the hospital staff before Wrex relaxed enough to give them free access...but he still watched. Karin thought them all lucky that Wrex had been on the Normandy long enough to come to trust her judgment, or treatment would have remained exceedingly difficult. As it turned out, Karin figured a Krogan bodyguard wasn't necessarily a bad thing and thanked the big lug for watching out for Shepard. Karin was both touched and surprised by the longest string of words she'd ever heard Wrex put together at one time.

"It is not a deed that needs thanks. She trusted in me enough to let me come along for the ride. She was willing to take on an extra mission to help me recover my ancestral armor. She helped me destroy the abominations they dared call Krogan on Virmire, and just like she promised she would, she took me to the final battle with Saren. While she and Liara bounced that thing back and forth, I got to fire the final kill shot that ultimately turned him into ash. She is many things. A respected commander and a trusted ally. My sister-in-arms and my Krantt. My best friend. That makes her and her mate family. So now, I will watch over my family until they are fully capable of doing it again on their own." His flame-orange eyes remained focused on the door, watching for the next victim who dared enter his temporary domain. Karin looked at Liara but said nothing. There were tears in the young Asari's eyes as she gazed in astonishment at the Krogan at the door.

\-----------------------------

It was late in the evening when Shepard finally came to her senses and realized she hurt all over. Her head. Her shoulder. Her ribs. Her leg. _Ouch_. She groaned in pain just trying to shift on the bed to get more comfortable. She heard Karin's voice from her right before she even got her eyes open, and someone gripped her left hand from the other side of the bed. _Liara_. She'd know the soft texture of that hand anywhere.

"Are you with us, Commander?" From the tone, Shepard realized quickly it was Dr Chakwas speaking, not Karin.

"Yeah, Doc. I'm here, though kinda wishing I was still asleep. Hurts like a bitch." She felt a squeeze of her left hand accompanied by a loving stroke up her arm, and heard a chuckle from Karin.

"You're lucky to be alive, Shepard. I wouldn't complain if I were you. Liara described what it was like in the Council Chambers. Sounded horrid." Karin sighed. "Anyway, that's in the past, and you're still here in the present. That's what matters. Now, are you going to go back to sleep, or do you think you could open those baby greens for me? You have a concussion, and I need to see how responsive your pupils are."

Shepard's eyelids fluttered and they cracked open for just the merest of moments before reclosing. Karin wasn't pleased when Shepard passed out again before she could complete the examination and noted in the file that the commander should remain under observation for at least forty-eight hours, if not seventy-two, depending on how she responded over the next couple of days. She sat back down to wait...again. She and Liara ended up spending a rather uncomfortable night dozing off and on in their chairs, as the commander repeated her brief visit twice more, before fully regaining consciousness the next morning. When Karin was finally able to perform a complete examination, she stuck by her forty-eight to seventy-two hour observation period and noted the results of her exam so Dr Michel would be able to review them. "Well, Commander. You seem to be doing well enough that I'm going to go relax for a bit, grab some lunch and give you two some private time. No melding during your observation period... your brain needs rest." She looked pointedly at Liara, who first blushed and then nodded in silent acceptance. Before she left, Karin adjusted Shepard's bed to a sitting position for lunch and then glared at the Krogan. "Now, Wrex. I assume you can stand guard from _outside_ the door just as well?"

The big Krogan grumbled, but agreed, and followed Chakwas out into the hallway, closing the door behind him. As the door closed, Shepard turned her head to look at the devoted Asari at her side. "Hey Blue." Her voice was quiet and still slightly raspy from the anesthesia-induced sleep. "You ok?"

Liara's face was lit with happiness now that Samantha was awake and speaking. "Yes, love. Especially now. My heart was broken when I thought I'd lost you, so soon after discovering what we could be to one another." Liara sniffed and blinked away tears before they fell. "But as Karin said, it's in the past, and you're here now, with me, and we are both alive... and I am greatly relieved." She leaned forward and gave the commander a quick peck on the lips, happy to have her back but not wanting to stress her body. A light blush spread across her cheeks as she withdrew.

Samantha smiled, "You should know I'm not going to give you up that easy." She groaned again as she shifted slightly on the bed. "Damn. They could make these things a bit more comfortable, don't ya think?"

Liara laughed. "I don't know. I do not spend near as much time in them as you seem to. Perhaps you should consider my strategy, rather than how to make the beds softer for yours."

Shepard grunted in pain as she inadvertently barked out a hard laugh. "Ow! T'Soni, you wound me. You're getting better at your short zingers lately. The crew has taught you too well!" Shepard reached up and brushed her fingers across the attractive blush that glowed on Liara's face. "Speaking of which, how did the Normandy fare?"

Liara's smile and her blush faded as she put on her business mask. "Well, you've seen me and Wrex, so you know we are fine. One of Tali's suit ruptures resulted in an infection, so they put her in an isolation ward for ten days, where she'll receive a full course of antibiotics.   Other than that, she was in pretty good shape. She'll be happy to hear you're going to recover in a few days' time."

"Good. I was worried about her. I know those suits are supposed to automatically seal off individual sections of the suit in the event of breach, but she really took a beating. She's tough, though." Shepard squeezed Liara's hand. "Like you."

Liara smiled lightly, "Like me? You mean she also breaks down and cries every time she gets somewhere private after seeing you injured?  That's assuming she's even able to get somewhere private, first."

Shepard looked chagrined. "I'm sorry, Liara. I hate that me getting injured is so hard for you. I'm afraid as an Alliance Vanguard, that's not going to change any time soon." Shepard blinked a couple of times before casting her eyes elsewhere, unable to look Liara in the face.

She felt Liara's hand on her cheek, pulling her head back around to look at her as she leaned forward and placed a gentle kiss on Samantha's lips, lingering a little longer this time to reassure the commander. "That's just who you are, Shepard. You throw yourself willingly into harm's way to prevent others from getting injured. As much as I dislike it, it's also one of the things I love about you. Your compassion and your dedication to your friends and your crew...it's part of what makes you who you are. And you are exceptional at what you do. I wouldn't have you any other way." Liara paused for a second, rethinking her last statement. "Actually, I may not wish _you_ to be any different, but I'd rather the galaxy be a place where such self-sacrifice wasn't necessary anymore."

Shepard's smile returned to her face. "And that's one of the things I love about you. Your kind and gentle exterior surrounds a constitution of titanium. You hope for and want the best, while at the same time preparing yourself in the event the worst comes to pass. You're stronger than most people give you credit for. I know better. I've seen your strength."

Liara blushed and answered very quietly. "Yes, well, that's mostly due to you. And while you are my strength, you are also my greatest weakness. To see you hurt tears my heart apart, and I would do or give anything to see it not so. But my heart heals just as your injuries do, and I wouldn't want to limit the passion with which you live and breathe for anything, so wipe the regret from your face and the protest from your lips, because they are not necessary." Liara leaned forward and placed yet another kiss on the commander's lips to keep her from speaking any more words of apology. "Now. The Normandy. The ship fared well, but we've run her hard these past months and she took a couple of hits during the battle so it will take a few weeks to complete the repairs. While she's in, they'll also complete a few minor retrofits and give her a new paint job. So, the Alliance has given the entire crew two weeks of paid shore leave during the retrofits."

"Sweet!" Shepard's face brightened at the news. "If we get a chance, I'd love to finally introduce you to my mom. Would that be ok?"

A flash of hesitation flew across Liara's face before she smiled, but once she did, Shepard could tell it was an honest one and not forced there for her benefit. "Yes. I think that would be nice. I will look forward to meeting the woman who raised such an inspiring daughter." Liara paused only briefly before continuing. "Then if at all possible, I need to continue on to Thessia." Liara saw a cloud pass over Shepard's expression. "You with me, of course..." The cloud lifted slightly. "I have business to attend to, but I would also like to introduce you to my homeworld. Where I grew up, both in Armali and out on the country estate."

Shepard tried to sit up straighter and groaned, relaxing back onto the bed and beckoning Liara to her. As Liara leaned forward for a kiss, Shepard grabbed her and pulled her into a gentle hug, to which the Asari happily acquiesced. "Oh, Shepard. Thank the Goddess you came through this alright. I'm not sure what I would have done had you... had anything happened to you."

Shepard held on long enough to whisper in her ear, "You're strong, Liara, and you're young. You would have recovered and moved on. I can't say how long it would have taken, but you would do it. But it doesn't matter, because I'll be fine." Shepard released her hold with one last extra squeeze, and Liara stood back up.

Shepard narrowed her eyes in concentration. "That does beg a question though, Liara." She put the question together in her head before finally voicing it. "What about after? I have two weeks, then I need to come back. What will you do to stay busy after I leave? I know you're not just going to sit around waiting on me."

Liara was instantly shattered. Her face fell and she stuttered, "You...You're leaving me behind? On... Thessia? Do you not... want me... on your Spectre squad anymore, Shepard?" Liara had to force the question out from between her lips.

"What?" Shepard's face reflected an equivalent shock. "Wait. You want to stay? With me, I mean? You just said you have stuff on Thessia you need to do." Shepard shook her head in her confusion. "By the Gods, Liara! Of course I want you with me! I just thought... from the way you talked about continuing on to Thessia, I thought you meant to _stay_ there!"

Liara cried out in delight. "Oh, thank the Goddess! Don't scare me like that! I have an executor watching the estate! What I need to do on Thessia is make long term arrangements with her! I want to stay with you, Shepard! Always!" Liara leaned back in for a slightly more exuberant hug as a smile of joy spread rapidly across her face.

Their continued banter was eventually interrupted by Dr Michel bringing them dinner and checking Shepard over yet one more time. "Well, Commander. You seem to be doing well. As long as you get a good night's sleep and don't regress overnight, I think tomorrow we can open your room to visitors in addition to your significant other and your bodyguard."

Shepard grinned. "That would be awesome, Doctor. The crew has been pestering Liara all day with messages asking how I am. I don't think they'll really believe it until they see for themselves. How about an estimate on when I can get out of here?"

Chloe smiled, "Garrus did say you were always the impatient one. Always ready to charge ahead. Something to do with being an Alliance Vanguard, I believe. But no worries, Commander. I imagine if you have a second good night in a row and can get up and move around on your own by then... I would think the following morning. And we're bringing a chair in here for Wrex." Chloe stopped to laugh. "He's scaring people and disrupting traffic in the hallway. The administrator wanted me to keep you for a third day, to be safe, until almost everyone at the staff meeting complained about the Krogan thug threatening to snack on the staff if they hurt you!" They sat and chatted for a bit while Shepard ate, and Chloe remarking on her excellent appetite.

Shepard shrugged. "Yesterday we had breakfast, and at some point during the chase we shared an energy bar. I woke up after breakfast today, and for some reason they thought since I hadn't had any hard food for a while, all I could have for lunch was soup and some crackers. It didn't last very long. I'm starving!"

Chloe frowned at the mention of soup and crackers and pulled the commander's chart. "Shepard. I'm sorry... that's all my fault. I failed to annotate that you were to be placed on a Biotic diet! I'll get it fixed right away, and I'll make sure they bring up a high-calorie snack and electrolyte drink in a couple of hours. You need to replenish your reserves."

After that, Chloe stepped out, and not long after that a couple of orderlies showed up with more comfortable chairs for Wrex and Liara.

\-------------------------------

The next day, a number of the crew came and went, mostly the ground team members, but a few others showed up as well. Most notable was Food Specialist Carlton Tucks... with a bag of fresh made oatmeal cookies. "I know what it's like trying to survive on hospital food. No way I'll leave you to their mercy, Commander! Also, in the bottom of the bag is an extra little pouch with some of those little sweet eezo cubes Dr T'Soni likes." Carlton shrugged his shoulders and let out his characteristic shy little laugh. "I mean, she's here like, all the time, taking care of you, so I thought she deserved a little treat too."

Shepard was also allowed to have her omnitool back and she promptly called her mom and then made travel arrangements to get to the fleet and then on to Thessia. The day went extremely well and by the afternoon, by hanging onto Liara's arm for support, Shepard was able to get up and take a short stroll to the common room at reception, where she ran into Dr Michel. Chloe's eyes zeroed in on the commander as soon as she came through the doors. "Well, Commander! Look at you. I guess tomorrow morning you'll probably be leaving us, assuming your stroll doesn't have any negative effects. Get yourself back to your room and don't overdo it. I want you out of here tomorrow and would hate to see you do something silly that might prevent that from happening."

Shepard laughed. "Trust me, Doc. Liara here had us stop three times to sit down to rest. She's not taking any chances. We have travel plans, and she wants to make sure I can handle the trip. This is a supervised test drive, not a lover's stroll."

Chloe had to laugh at the expression on Liara's face, telling her that what Shepard said was completely true, but that she also didn't appreciate being 'outed' so publicly. Chloe shook her head as she guided them back to the elevator to return to the inpatient floor. "Fine, I'll leave you to the care of your private doctor, but do me a favor and at least stay on your own floor. I'm surprised Wrex didn't follow you down here."

Shepard's eyes got wide. "Ooooh no! He tried, but one glare from Liara brought that boy to heel. He knows better than to take on Dr T'Soni once her mind is made up! Even Wrex won't go there!"

Chloe looked at the sweetly smiling Asari before her. "Hmmm. They always do say to watch out for the quiet ones. I think perhaps I may have misread you, Doctor. I'll see you both in the morning. Now, back to your own floor. Doctor's orders."

The next morning, Chloe woke them bright and early at 8 AM. A quick exam with brief follow-up instructions for what remained of her injuries, and Shepard was cleared from the hospital. Shepard and Liara stepped into the bathroom to shower and dress, and when they stepped out ready to depart, Wrex handed them Shepard's discharge paperwork, saying Dr Michel had dropped them off while they were otherwise indisposed. He then cleared his throat. "Shepard. Thanks for a hell of a ride. You're back up and about, getting out of this hell hole, and you've got a strong mate at your side. I gave some thought to what you've been saying about Tuchanka. You're right; it's time I go back and see what I can do to change things. I'm not two hundred anymore. I can probably make a real difference now, even if it will take knocking some heads. But I'm ready to do that. It's time the Krogan quit being mercenaries for hire and work for ourselves for a change. You're always welcome on Tuchanka, and in regards to Sovereign, I'll just say this... if you find any more big monsters, you call me. The Krogan will come help you kill them!"


	24. Family, Friends and New Beginnings

A somewhat dumfounded Shepard and T'Soni left the hospital, suddenly and unexpectedly minus their Krogan teammate. Shepard had _hoped_ Wrex would think about returning to Tuchanka, but for him to so abruptly announce it and turn and leave without hardly a goodbye caught them both by surprise. Still in shock from Wrex's hasty departure, they made their way back to the ship and packed their bags for the trip, then headed to the temporary quarters the Council had provided for the entire crew. They would have preferred to stay onboard the Normandy for the single night they had before their departure, but they weren't allowed to stay on the ship while repair work was being completed.

One of the first things Shepard and Liara did when they got to their temporary quarters on the Citadel was a light meld, simply to share all the pent up emotions and experiences from the last few hectic days. They had seriously missed the intimacy and comfort even a basic meld gave them. They had definitely learned that stress and burdens shared weren't nearly so heavy, and their decisions and actions were much better thought out and clearer when they used each other as sounding boards. Liara told Shepard about her nearly laughing when she thought about Karin's reaction to her dislocated shoulder. The commander first acted affronted, but then suddenly got a sly grin on her face. Liara looked at her and just had to ask what she was thinking. Shepard was really grinning now, and said, "I told you, you'd get used to it."

Liara looked puzzled and asked, "Get use to what?"

Shepard laughed, and said, "Remember at Peak 15, when I told you you'd get use to me getting hurt. You didn't believe me then, you swore it would never happen. Never say never, T'Soni! I have to say if you're laughing about Doc Chakwas' reaction to me getting my shoulder dislocated, that qualifies as being use to it!" They teasingly bantered back and forth for a while over the topic, but in the end the only thing Shepard was convinced of was that Dr T'Soni didn't like to be proven wrong. Shepard decided to make it up to her beautiful Blue by seducing her and making love to her until the wee morning hours; Liara blissfully accepted Samantha's sincere act of contrition.

The Normandy was once again grounded, but this time for a few minor retrofits and repairs, and a new paint job. The couple of hits she'd taken during the Battle of the Citadel ensured the Normandy would be in dry-dock for a few weeks to complete the repairs and the Alliance decided to give the entire crew two weeks of paid shore leave during the retrofits. Though Ambassador Udina was still burning from what he saw as the theft of the Normandy, Alliance HQ and the Council rolled with the popular support of the commander and decided that Udina, not being in the military chain of command, acted outside his scope of authority on the lock-down to begin with, so made him retract the accusation or face charges of his own for abuse of authority. He wisely chose to drop the issue, but continued to nurse a personal grudge against Shepard.

After only a single night of freedom, the Council requested an audience with the commander. Once again, Shepard found herself before the Council with Anderson and Udina at her side. The only thing that kept her from going crazy was knowing they had no Normandy to fly and no rogue Spectre to hunt. A real vacation to spend together. It was going to be perfect. Councilor Tevos opened the proceedings by recognizing those present, and then made her opening statement. "We have gathered here to recognize the enormous contributions of the Alliance forces in the war against Sovereign and the Geth."

In the practice that Shepard always found amusing... _Why can't just one of the councilors make the entire statement?_...the Salarian councilor then continued the announcement, "Many Humans lost their lives in the battle to save the Citadel, brave and courageous soldiers who willingly gave their lives so that we--the Council--might live." _and let the stage sharing continue_...

Sparatus took over, following with "There is no greater sacrifice, and we share your grief over the tragic loss of so many noble men and women." ... _and back to Tevos!..._ Shepard was really starting to feel rather irreverent by this point, with all the thoughts running rampant through her head while the Councilors continued speaking. _My God, will this never end?_

The commander found it hard to concentrate as the Council droned on, wondering exactly why they demanded her presence for this. Suddenly, she realized Udina was now speaking, and he was accepting something, but the commander had no idea what had just been offered. The commander decided she should probably pay attention again, and was rewarded with a relatively quick solution to her dilemma. They wanted her recommendation for who should be the first Human councilor. Fervently hoping they hadn't provided a list from which she was supposed to chose, she stated loud and clear, "We need someone with the courage to stand up for what he believes in. Someone like Captain Anderson."

Udina was beside himself, though the commander couldn't believe he honestly expected her to select him, not after he double-crossed her and tried to strip her of command of the Normandy. Tevos was true to her promise of support and quickly backed the commander's selection, calling it an inspired choice and stating the Council would welcome Councilor Anderson with open arms should he accept the posting. Captain Anderson graciously agreed to take the job, and after brief closing remarks, Shepard made her final comments. "Sovereign was only a vanguard. The Reaper fleet is still coming. Hundreds of ships, maybe thousands, and once the Normandy is ready to fly again, I'm going to find some way to stop them. Now if you'll excuse me, Councilors, Ambassador, I'm going to start my two weeks of shore leave."

\-----------------------------

Shepard burst into their temporary quarters on the Citadel, and started shedding her uniform the minute the door closed behind her. "Liara? You here? What time does our shuttle leave? How much time..." She probably would have kept on rattling questions off if Liara hadn't walked out of the bathroom and silenced her with a kiss.

Samantha smiled, exceedingly happy with the distraction, and went to deepen the kiss when Liara pulled back, responding with a mischievous smile of her own, "Oh no you don't. You asked. I answer. Yes, I am obviously here. We have two hours to get to the shuttle, and I'm packed, but you're not, so I'll help you. Anything else, my dear Commander?"

Shepard shook her head no and laughed, wrapping Liara in a tight embrace, like there would be no tomorrow. "You know how much I love you, T'Soni?"

The commander gave Liara such a dreamy look it made the Asari's stomach flip. "Tell me," she said.

Shepard wiggled her eyebrows up and down and said with a smirk, "I'd rather show you, but we'd miss our shuttle, and boy, would my mom be pissed." She let Liara go and went to the bedroom to pack, the Asari in trail.

When she was done packing, Shepard looked at Liara's single medium-sized bag, and then at her two large ones. "Ah, the downside to being a Spectre. Look at all that crap I have to carry with me all the time!"

A frown flitted across Liara's face before she voiced her question. "Are you traveling armed, Samantha?"

Shepard looked at the concerned expression on her lover's face, trying to figure out why she was asking such a question. "You mean, as in a loaded weapon on my person, or my battle gear in a bag? Not that it matters, because the answer to both of those questions is yes. What's the real question here, Blue? Do you not want me carrying?"

Liara sat down in a huff. "It's just that...I was told...Wait. Let me start at the beginning." Liara sighed and started over. "I got a message from the estate executor on Thessia. Apparently, the estate is worth much more than even I realized, and there are people who will try to take it from me. Secondary inheritors who stand to get very rich should something 'happen' to me, say in a shuttle accident or at some remote dig site. They recommended I always travel with a security detail of at least two commandos, preferably more. I told them I didn't need it this trip, because I was traveling with a Council Spectre on a military transport... and I just wanted to make sure I actually told them the truth." Liara looked up at Shepard with a look of contrition, like she had been caught doing something wrong.

"Wow." Shepard gingerly sank down next to Liara on the edge of the bed. "I guess I didn't even think about stuff like that. About you being at risk because of your money. I always at least have my service pistol, but I can't be with you all the time. Maybe having at least one commando isn't such a bad idea, for when we're not flying on military transport. Can you get one to meet us on the Kilimanjaro in four days, before we leave for Thessia? At least until we come up with a plan?" As she finished, Shepard did not look at Liara. Instead, she stared down at her hands in her lap, trying to not think about how easy it would be for the love of her life to slip through her fingers in a single moment of inattention. _There are people who want Liara dead._ Shepard had never felt so vulnerable...or, for that matter, so angry. "Damn it!" The commander stood up with a huff, the protective commander once more.

Liara stood with her and grabbed her arm, suddenly very uneasy, unable to keep pace with Shepard's shifting emotions. "Samantha. What are you thinking? Talk to me, please?"

Shepard spun to face the Asari and her eyes locked on to Liara's like a laser site. The intensity behind the piercing green eyes almost made Liara wince, like they were cutting into her very soul. Shepard saw the shielded expression settle on her lover's face and closed her eyes for a moment, centering herself and calming her emotions. When she reopened them, Liara was comforted by a softer gaze and relaxed a little bit. Shepard leaned forward until their foreheads touched. "Blue, it would be easier to show you. Meld?" Liara did not hesitate, and soon was nearly overcome by feelings of vulnerability, anger and then overwhelming protectiveness. A strong voice made itself known through the meld. Demanding. Immovable. _{I will do everything in my power to keep you safe from harm. Always.}_ The statement was followed by such a sense of warmth and love that Liara gasped at the intensity of it. She returned the feelings and then slowly withdrew from their bond.

"Thank you, Samantha. I feared you were angry with me, for not telling you sooner or something. I feel much better about it all now." Liara cast an endearing smile at the passionate human standing before her. "Come, let us go catch our shuttle.   We can talk about it during the transit."

**\-----------------------------**

Over the course of the journey, the couple hammered out a plan. Based on their information, the threat was very real, so they took it seriously. For the short term, they would pull two commandos from the townhome in Armali. One would stay with them on the Normandy, and the other would be responsible for procuring and providing a private FTL-capable transport whenever required. For any side trips, both the pilot and the escort would stay with Liara at all times. If the Normandy was somewhere the private transport couldn't get too for some reason, Liara would have to stay on board ship unless both the Spectre and the commando were free to travel with her, utilizing the Normandy's shuttle.

For the longer term, Liara would establish the equivalent of a will, to make sure all the assets of the estate were accounted for and designated to transfer to specific recipients. They also planned to have it witnessed by a quorum of Matriarchs, making it public knowledge and virtually uncontestable. The existence of a planned disposition of assets would remove any monetary motive to 'eliminate' Liara. The only detail remaining was the actual recipient list. They had plenty of ideas, Liara just needed to make the final selections and assign the percentages. With that out of the way, a much happier couple was ready to disembark when they reached the SSV Kilimanjaro.

After a quick nap, Commander Shepard got dressed in her standard duty uniform. Liara looked at her and immediately questioned if she was ok in her civilian attire, or if she should put on one of her science suits. Shepard laughed gently, and explained to Liara that it was just a thing between her and her mom. She was on shore leave, and there was no requirement to be in uniform, so she did it solely because her mom liked it. She'd probably be changing right back into civilian clothes as soon as they got settled into their room.

They watched out the window as the transport approached their destination. Liara had done her homework and knew the Kilimanjaro was an Alliance capital ship, a dreadnought, the equivalent of the Destiny Ascension, but she was still amazed at the size. The Ascension was huge and had a compliment of just over ten thousand people; the Kilimanjaro had just over nine thousand, but it was less than a third the size. It seemed....small, by comparison, but certainly packed a lot of firepower. It would be interesting to get a tour and see what the differences were, how the Alliance packed so much into such a relatively small package.

The shuttle finally settled into its docking bay and they got to disembark. Liara stayed back a bit as the commander searched the crowd and found her mother. Liara realized Shepard had been correct in her assessment that they looked alike. Her mother was a bit shorter, her auburn hair was starting to show some gray, and she definitely had lines in her face that came with age, though she didn't have the scars Samantha did. Most noticeable was the eyes, the same piercing green. No doubt Samantha was her mother's daughter. Commander Shepard stepped up to Captain Shepard and saluted smartly. They dropped their salutes, and the Captain looked over the officer standing before her, as if inspecting her. "You've lost weight, Commander."

"You've got a pooch."

"You've gotten disrespectful."

"You've become a hard ass, Captain."

Liara was flabbergasted by what she heard, wondering why these two women even bothered to get together if all they were going to do is throw insults back and forth at one another. She would never have dreamed of speaking to her mother in such a manner!

"You're downright insubordinate!"

"Only to my pipsqueak mother!"

At this point, both women busted out laughing and grabbed each other in a tight hug. Her mother clasped her daughter by the shoulders and held her out at arm's length. "Oh, Sam! You look wonderful! I was so worried when I got your note, you were so vague. But, I received it just after we got the warning notice about the Citadel, and it was easy enough to put two and two together." Tears started to form in the Captain's eyes as she continued. "I tried to hold out, but all I could think was that if the Geth were at the Citadel, you had failed and you were lost to me!" Hannah pulled Sam in again and hugged her for all she was worth. Sam apologized for worrying her, but felt she just had to send something. Just in case. They were fortunate it all worked out in the end. Hannah released the crushing hug and stepped back, wiping away her tears. "Now, where is this Liara you've been going on about lately?"

Samantha grabbed her mother's hand and led her back towards the transport, where Liara was waiting with the bags. "Mom, this is Dr Liara T'Soni. Liara, this is my mom, Captain Hannah Shepard."

Liara nodded politely, and held her hand out in the human fashion while she said, "It is my distinct pleasure to meet you, Captain."

For a second, it was like Hannah was frozen, just long enough for the hesitation to be noticeable. She recovered, with a slight blush, and took Liara's hand in an enthusiastic greeting, finally finding her voice. "I'm sorry. Please, just call me Hannah. I don't know what I was expecting, but Sam failed to mention you were Asari. I was just surprised. I didn't mean to be rude. I'm very happy to meet you." Samantha's face was etched with worry at the greeting, but as far as Liara was concerned, the Shepard smile that accompanied the handshake proved her sincerity.

They picked up their bags, and Hannah escorted them to their room. Once they got settled, Hannah took the center position, put an arm through each, and three-abreast, proudly took them on a tour of the Kilimanjaro. The differences between the ships was immediately evident to Liara; the Alliance ship was very utilitarian, while the Destiny Ascension was actually a home. The Ascension had everything a small city would have...libraries, gymnasiums, gardens and parks, and real restaurants, not just mess halls; the Kilimanjaro had none of that. Liara questioned how anyone could be comfortable in such a space for any prolonged period of time, and secretly hoped Shepard never got stationed on such a vessel.

They followed the tour with dinner in the Officer's Mess. Once they were seated, Hannah demanded they tell the entire story of how they met, and much to Liara's embarrassment, Shepard was more than happy to comply. The whole story about the mine and the Geth was a great tale, but when the part about the Prothean security bubble came out, Samantha's animated rendition had Hannah laughing until tears rolled down her cheeks. They didn't last long though, ending quickly with the sobering reality of fighting the Krogan Battlemaster and almost burning to death in a lava pit. Shepard paused in her telling, an expression of pure love coming over her face as she continued. "Mom, it was crazy. Here was this Asari, whom I'd never seen before in my life, and the minute I laid eyes on her I was just filled with this amazing feeling of...I don't know...contentment? And nothing in the world mattered but her safety and happiness. I'd read some of her research papers, so I knew she was incredibly intelligent, she was obviously a hell of a biotic, and as I watched Karin take care of her, I felt incredibly lucky because I just had the most beautiful person in the galaxy somehow fall into my lap. I didn't understand what I'd done to deserve it...I didn't feel worthy." Samantha glanced at Liara and lovingly took one of her hands, then focused her attention on her mom's face. "Is that too weird? Did I like, just totally freak you out?"

Hannah reached and took her daughter's open hand, then, looking at Liara, reached over and they completed a circle. "Absolutely not, my dear. Apparently, love at first sight isn't just for fairytales, and more importantly, I owe this young Asari for saving your life. My guess is the reckless way you live, she's probably done that more than once!" At that statement, Liara blushed, Shepard laughed, and Hannah happily beamed an open loving smile at both of them.

After dinner, they retired to the Captain's quarters, where Hannah entertained Liara, at Shepard's expense, with pictures and tales of the great Commander Shepard's adventuresome childhood. Shepard was embarrassed many times over, but thrilled at how well the two most important people in her life were getting along. As she sat back and watched her mom's face as she relived all the early years and Liara's rapt attention to the highly embellished stories of Sam's daring do, she thought simply, life is good. She was so comfortable, she didn't even realize she had fallen asleep until Liara was sitting next to her, gently caressing her cheek and smiling at her with an expression of unbridled affection. As Sam's eyes slowly opened, Liara said quietly, "Come on, love. It's past time for us to go to our cabin." Shepard sat up and sheepishly apologized to her companions for falling asleep on them.

Hannah laughed and responded, "If I had a guest room you wouldn't even have known. We'd have just carried you to bed like I used to when you were younger. Oh, how I've missed you, Samantha. I'm so glad you came, and brought the charming Dr T'Soni with you! Now, off you go, and I'll see you tomorrow. Breakfast is at eight if you are so inclined. Otherwise, just message me when you're up and we'll figure out where to meet."

The next three days passed in similar fashion, mother and daughter getting all caught up on each other's lives, and Liara being brought into the fold like she had been a member of the family forever. Liara was incredibly happy with the way the visit worked out, learning more about the Shepard clan than she ever thought possible in such a short visit.   She found it very easy to understand Hannah, as Samantha was so much like her mom it was easy to draw very accurate correlations between the two. By the time their newly acquired private transport arrived, Hannah and Liara were fast friends, and there was an obvious budding promise that it would eventually turn into a much closer relationship. Along with the tearful goodbyes came promises to write and visit more often and just in general to communicate better overall. From the observation lounge, Hannah watched the transport fade into the distance until it was just a speck hitting the mass relay. She finally turned away with tears of sadness in her eyes, but joyous memories in her heart. It had been a wonderful visit.

**\-----------------------------**

On board the new transport, first order of business was for Liara to introduce Shepard to the two commandos. The pilot was Judea Voni, and the huntress, Riana Iregos. They both had exceptional training and had worked together at the Armali Townhome for nearly fifty years. They had relatively standard issue weapons and shield generators, so the first thing Shepard planned on doing upon their arrival in Thessia was to upgrade the armory for the entire commando unit.

Liara gave them a complete intelligence brief on the situation, and made it perfectly clear they were to follow Commander Shepard's orders as if they were her own. Keeping in mind the comments from Tenir that Shepard had shared after the meld in Tevos' office, Liara also made it very clear that the commander was hers, and she was not inclined to share at this point in her life. When she made those remarks, her hand moved possessively to Shepard's thigh and Shepard smiled and wrapped an arm around Liara's waist in response. Giving Liara a sidelong glance, Shepard stated, "Love, you know you don't have to worry about that in the slightest."

Liara's eyes twinkled and she flashed a conspiratorial smile to the whole group as she answered, "I know...and now they do too."

Shepard was pretty impressed with the transport. It was a top-of-the-line Jorius II Corvette. It had an optimum crew of three, but could be flown by a single pilot with VI assistance, and could carry up to ten passengers. Designed for private ownership, the ship provided comfortable long-range FTL travel to distant systems and was designed for speed and maneuverability. With the model II upgraded shielding, armor, and engines, it would be sufficient enough to fend off fighters and adequately outrun frigates. It had ten retractable, non-military grade mass accelerator cannons, and GARDIAN point defense lasers. It also carried a drop-shuttle and a Jiris Infantry Fighting Vehicle for hot zones. They had just acquired it, so it still needed to be customized, but all in good time. Overall, it was an excellent selection by Captain Axoni.

The time passed quickly and Liara got caught up on all the news from Thessia while Shepard got acquainted with the layout and security procedures at the Armali location. The commander was like a sponge, absorbing every detail she could get and planning the conversation she would have with the captain of the guard once they arrived. Based on her transport selection and everything the two commandos said, Shepard very much looked forward to meeting Captain Nayla Axoni.

Before they knew it, they were approaching the Asari home world, and the commander got her first view of Thessia through the view screen on the bridge. Liara was pressed tight to her side, and Shepard could tell she was tense, so grabbed her hand and gave a look that translated into "meld with me." Liara shook her head 'no,' and Shepard glared at her, saying out loud, "Yes." Liara finally obliged and Sam was assaulted by a swirl of emotions, indicating just how unsettled Liara's thoughts were. Shepard pushed a wave of steady, loving support across the meld and waited for Liara to settle her emotions enough to tell her what was wrong.

_{You're ok, Blue. Breathe. I'm here for you. Talk to me...}_

Liara was unable to find the right words, but finally managed to at least get a start. _{I haven't been home in almost fifty years, Shepard. Not since...when I...not since my mother and I had our falling out. I... I always assumed my homecoming would involve a reconciliation...seeing Thessia again, knowing she is not here... It is...difficult.}_ Silent tears found their way out of the corners of Liara's eyes, and Shepard turned to pull her in close, cheek to cheek.

There was no attempt to stop the tears; Shepard just let her cry to release the bottled emotions. _{You know I'm here for you. You are not alone. We'll face this together, and together there is nothing we can't handle. I love you, Liara T'Soni. Don't you ever forget that and don't you ever doubt that I'll support you, whatever your choices and where ever your path may take you.}_

As the transport touched down, Liara took a deep breath and withdrew from the meld, loving the devoted pillar of support that stood rock-solid before her. Separating from Shepard, she wiped away her own tears and put a light smile on her face as she reached out and took Samantha's hand, saying simply, "I know." Hand-in-hand, the pair walked back to the main compartment. As the door of the transport opened, they looked at each other, smiled, and knowing the obstacles that lay before them, carefully stepped out into the brilliant Thessian sunshine and their brightening future.

**Works inspired by this one:**

  * [Ice & Fire](https://archiveofourown.org/works/4871296) by [Monkeynutsjoe](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Monkeynutsjoe/pseuds/Monkeynutsjoe)




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